Sailor Moon: Kingdom Hearts
by Station Square Guardian
Summary: What happens when Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts are all selected by the Keyblade to protect the worlds from the Heartless? Visiting other worlds, they will all try to prevent Kingdom Hearts from being opened by the evil forces of Darkness.
1. Surprises and more surprises

First of all, let me just assure you that I do not own Sailor Moon or Kingdom Hearts, or any of their characters. For those of you who ever thought how Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts would deal with the fact of being sucked into Kingdom Hearts world, well then, this is your lucky day. I hope you all like this story. And furthermore, to checkout illustrations from all of the Sailor Scouts dressed in Kingdom Hearts clothes, then check out Omen-of-Silverwing's webpage on DA. Well, on with the show…

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Chapter 1: Surprises and more surprises

"Kingdom Hearts. The worlds have given us this doorway. They want us to be the guardians of their destiny." (King Mickey, Kingdom Hearts II)

It was 13 pm in Tokyo. The day was sunny and the air was quite hot. In fact, it was too hot for a regular summer day, even in July. Very few people dared to be on the streets at that time of day, because the hot was almost unbearable. Still, the hot weather was not enough to keep Usagi Tsukino and her friends from meeting with each others in their usual hang out spot, Hikawa Shrine, which was also Rei's home. The white-marble floor was so hot that you could fry an egg on it. Usually, Usagi would wait for the others inside the shrine, but from some strange reason, that she could not explain, she wanted to wait for the others outside. She was leaning against a cherry-blossom tree that existed on the right side of the shrine, and next to her was her faithful feline companion, Luna, and her good friend, Rei. Usagi was wearing a blue and pale-pink cheerleader uniform, pink boots, and a pair of sunglasses. Rei, on the other hand was wearing her usual priestess clothes.

"Usagi, why do we have to wait for the others out here, in the sun?" –Rei asked her, as she waved a fan, trying to repel the hot.

"Since it's such a beautiful day, I thought it would be nice for us to wait for the rest of the gang out here." –She answered Rei with her gentle and sweet voice.

"But it's got to be like a 40ºC, Usagi! It's so hot that if I dropped an ice cube, it would melt before it touched the ground." –Rei complained.

"Rei is right, Usagi… It's quite hot. Why don't we wait for the others inside, where is fresh?" –Luna asserted, agreeing with Rei.

Usagi was about to answer to Luna, when she noticed that Ami, Makoto and Minako were climbing the staircase that lead to the shrine. Ami was wearing a white shirt, a cherry-red mini-skirt and a pair of white sneakers. On her hands, she was holding a copy of the latest book she had bought, "Quantum Physics: Mysteries of the Universe". Makoto was wearing a green sleeveless dress, which reached her knees, and a pair of black high-heel shoes. Usagi noticed that she was carrying a small package, which she hoped it was a box full of delicious treats that she had done for the group's reunion. As for Minako, she was wearing an orange tank top, a pair of jeans, a pair of orange tennis shoes and a pair of sunglasses. Accompanying them was Minako's faithful feline companion, Artemis. As soon as she saw them, Usagi waved at them.

"Girls, over here! –Usagi exclaimed.

In a matter of seconds, the girls got where Usagi and Rei were. Even though they saw each others everyday, Usagi was very happy to see them all, like if she had not seen them all in years.

"Hi, Usagi, hi, Rei, how are you today? –Ami asked, as she gave them a big hug, to which they answered that they were fine.

"Love your new look, Usagi! You look so pretty!" –Minako said, as she gave a closer look to the blonde girl's outfit.

"Really? You're sure it's not colourful?" –She asked –"I was afraid that it was too colourful, even for me."

"No, you're perfect, Usagi." –Makoto told her –"Those colours really suit you well, if you ask me. Are you trying to impress someone, besides Mamoru?" –She asked her, with a playful voice.

"Makoto, don't say that!" –Usagi exclaimed with a rather embarrassed voice-"You know that Mamoru is the only man for me. In fact, I'm counting the minutes for him to arrive… He promised me that he would meet us all here, so he should be arriving, any minute now."

"Okay, okay, I was just kidding with you…" –Makoto stated, letting out a girlish laugh, which was unusual for her, since she always tried to not show her most girlish side.

After that warm and cheerful reception, the girls all went to sit on the porch, where it was less hot, because the temperature was becoming unbearable. The sun was getting hotter by the minute. It was like if the gates of Hell had been opened, and the fiery flames that existed there were heating the air. But under the porch, it was fresh and cool, the perfect place for anyone to get out of the heat.

"It's not that I don't want to be here, Usagi, but why did you decided to call up this meeting?" –Ami asked her, as she sat down, always with her book in her hands.

"Yeah… You haven't told me either what was the occasion!"

"Well, I did not want to spoil the surprise, but, I guess I would have to tell it you soon or later… Chibiusa is coming to visit us!"

"What?!" –the four of them, including Luna and Artemis exclaimed, rather surprised with what they had heard.

"You heard me… Chibiusa is coming from the 30th century to visit us. She used the Silver Crystal to send me a message a couple of days ago, saying that she would arrive at exactly 14:30 p.m." –Usagi explained them. –"I wanted to tell you, but she made me promise that I would keep her arrival a secret."

"So that's why you were saying that today was a beautiful day to wait for them here… You were waiting to see if Chibiusa would arrive earlier than expected, weren't you?" –Rei asked Usagi.

"Okay, you got me… I was never a good liar, you all know that."

"We understand, Usagi. It'll be nice to see Chibiusa again." –Ami stated with a joyful smile in her face. –"But, have you also told Haruka and the others that she was coming to visit us?"

"Well, yes… I told them this morning about it, and from what I've heard through the phone, Hotaru was really excited about seeing Chibiusa again."

"No wonder… Those two were best friends, and will always be." –Minako said, as she grabbed Artemis and put him on her lap. –"But, where are they? If you told them that this morning, they should have arrived by now…"

Minako was not even able to finish that sentence, when they started to hear a strange noise. It sounded like something big was approaching them. Then, wind started blowing and leaves from the trees flew everywhere, like if a windmill had been magically conjured. Then, they all looked up and understood what was really going on. A white helicopter was flying up in the air. A few seconds later a rope ladder was tossed from it, and someone started climbing it down. The sun was too bright for them to see who it was at first sight, but after a couple of seconds, they all saw that it was Haruka and the rest of the girls who were coming down. The first one to reach the ground was Haruka, who was dressed in her usual tomboy outfit. She was wearing a white shirt, a pair of jeans and a pair of army boots. The second one to touch the ground was Michiru. She was wearing a beautiful floral dress and a pair of green matching high-heels. All in all, she was dazzling as always. Next, it was Setsuna who reached the ground. She was wearing a red t-shirt, black shorts and a pair of mountain-climbing boots. Finally, it was Hotaru who stepped out of the ladder. She was wearing a lavender mini-skirt, a yellow shirt, a pair of tennis shoes, and she was wearing a matching lavender bow on her head. They all smiled at the girls, as the ladder was pulled up and the helicopter got out of there, heading north.

"Only you would come up with an entrance like that one…" –Rei stated, as she got up.

"What did you expect? At least we have style." –Haruka said, as she and the others approached the group.

"Hello, girls. How are you?" –Michiru asked them with her sweet voice.

It did not take much time for all of them to start talking with each others. Haruka and Michiru were mostly quiet as always, but they participated in the talk, saying a thing or two. They quickly found out that the four of them had been travelling all over Japan, seeing the marvels that their country had to offer them, over the last months, right after the defeat of Galaxia.

"We've been in Kyoto, in Osaka, in Yokohama…" –Hotaru excitedly reported them all, showing them pictures of the places she and the rest of the girls had been.

"Looks like you've been quite busy having fun, Hotaru." –Makoto said, as she picked up a photo where you could see Setsuna and Hotaru next to each other, with Yokohama bay behind them.

Time went by, and Usagi kept looking at her watch, waiting for Mamoru to show up, but also, waiting for Chibiusa. She was getting really nervous, because Mamoru was supposed to meet them there, but he had not showed up yet. Makoto managed to leave the conversation for a moment, and went to see what was going on with Usagi. She sat right next to her, and gently put her hand in her left shoulder. With a warm smile, she said:

"What's the matter, Usagi? Is something troubling you?"

"It's Mamoru… He's taking too much to get here." –Usagi answered her. –"Do you think anything bad might happen to him?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Usagi. I'm sure he's just running a little late, that's all." –Makoto tried to cheer her up a little. –"You'll see… He'll be here in no time."

Minutes passed, and finally, at 14:30 p.m. they all waited for something to happen. At first, nothing happened, and all of them started to wonder what could have happened. Then, the sky over the temple got darker. The wind started to blow harder, like if a storm was passing through there. A bright light appeared in the middle of them, and little by little, not one, but three figures appeared. One of them as clearly Chibiusa, but the other two were complete strangers… The two strange figures were two boys, one of them from the same height and age as Setsuna, with dark spiky hair and white skin. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt, as well as a pair red and white of Converse-All's. As for the other one, he was the same height and age as Hotaru. He had dark hair, with a bowl cut, and he was wearing a pair of orange sneakers, black pants and an orange sleeveless shirt. As for Chibiusa, she was wearing a blue dress, with matching shoes. The group did not know how to react to that… They were waiting for Chibiusa, but they never thought that she would be accompanied, especially not by two boys.

"Hello, girls!" –Chibiusa exclaimed out loud, breaking the ice.

Usagi was the first one to hug her. She was so happy to see her, especially since it had been so long, since the two of them saw each other. A small of tear joy ran down her face, as she looked at Chibiusa. She had not changed a bit… She was taller no doubt about it, but her style had not changed a bit.

"Chibiusa, let me take a look at you… You've grown so much!" –Usagi exclaimed, as she took a closer look at the pink-haired girl.

"And you haven't changed a bit… In fact, none of you have. It's so good to see you all again."

"Hmm, aren't you going to present us your friends, Chibiusa?" –Minako asked her, as she looked at them very closely.

"Oh, I'm sorry, girls… Allow me to present you Johnny and George, they're my new bodyguards, if you can call them that. They are Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn" –she said, as they waved them.

"WHAT?!" –all of them chorused.

"Small Lady, I don't wish to be rude, but me and Hotaru are Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn." –Setsuna said with a rather confused voice and look, not understanding what was really going on there. Chibiusa hearing this let off a few laughs, and then said:

"No, no, no… You got it all wrong." –She said, between laughs. –"Maybe it's better if they tell you what is really going on."

The boys got near the group, and took a seat on the porch. The taller one took off his sunglasses and said:

"First of all, my name is Johnny Meioh and he's George Tomoe, and just like Small Lady has said, we are Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn… But we're not from this world. Or even better, we're not from this dimension."

"You're saying you're not from this dimension. Does that mean you came from another dimension?" –Ami asked.

"Exactly… We are from a parallel dimension." –George said, looking at Hotaru, who was trying to understand what they were saying.

"But, how did you ended up in the 30th century?" –Haruka asked them.

"In our dimension, our Sailor Mercury created a device which allowed us to cross between dimensions, and explore them. We were the first ones to use it… But, let's just say that things did not end up has we predicted." –Johnny explained. –"Our plan was to enter in your dimension for a few minutes, and then return to ours. Unfortunately, the device went 'Looney Tunes', and we ended up getting stuck in the 30th century. We contacted Queen Serenity from your dimension, and until we had any news from our dimension, we would serve as Small Lady's bodyguards."

"That means… You are me?" –Hotaru asked shyly to George.

"That's right, girl. I'm you, and you're me. Think of me as your twin brother from another dimension." –George said, as he got in front of Hotaru, noticing that they shared the same eyes.

"And, well, we also have other designations… While the two of you are Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn, we are Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer and Sailor Saturn Net Surfer. The reason why we have different codenames, is because in our dimension, we battle against bad guys using not only are powers, but also, every piece of modern technology that we come up with."

The entire group was astounded and confused with those explanations. Ami, Minako, Makoto and Rei, as well as Usagi seemed to accept their new colleagues, but as for Haruka and the rest of the girls, they still had their doubts about them. Luna and Artemis were also looking at them with rather suspicious looks.

"And how do we know if you're not some kind of fiends?" –Haruka asked them, giving them a really cold look.

"Your future version also gave us the same look, and asked them same thing, you know?" –George stated.

"And you know what we told her? We told her that if she didn't want to believe in our story, that was her problem, not ours… So, we give you the same answer, okay?" –Johnny said, as he looked her in the eyes. For a few seconds, their eyes kept looking onto each other.

Seeing that if they did not do anything, Haruka and Johnny would probably start fighting right over there, Usagi decided to break the tension, by reminding them why they were there, trying to smooth things a bit.

"Come on, guys. This isn't the time for us to fight… It's time to celebrate!"

Both Haruka and Johnny sighed, and silently agreed that the reason why they were there was to celebrate Chibiusa's visit. Still, what their mouths could not say out loud, their eyes could express it. They said: "We'll finish this later."

Trying to give them a chance, Setsuna and Hotaru sat next to the 'new' Sailor Scouts. Makoto decided to reveal what was inside the box she had brought with her. Inside it, there were delicious cookies that she had been baking all night, for that encounter. They all looked at the cookies and smiled, especially Chibiusa, who missed Makoto's cooking while in the 30th century, she said that although Makoto's future self was an awesome cook too, she could not surpass her.

"It's true. You're a much better cook, than your future self, Makoto." –Chibiusa stated.

"Thanks, Chibiusa, although I think it's a little bit difficult for me to accept that my future self is a worst cook than me…" –Makoto giggled, as she gave her the first cookie.

Chibiusa was just about to grab the cookie, when the earth shook for a few seconds. They all felt it, and at first thought it was just a small earthquake. But then, they all noticed that the way the earth shook, was not the same as when it is an earthquake. Then, Johnny's wristwatch started beeping out loud, and he looked at it, making a rather serious face.

"What's going on with your watch?" –Rei asked him.

"Either my watch is broken, or we got trouble." –Johnny said. –"This watch is not just a watch, it's also a device which picks up the energy from any kind of enemy that might be near, and I think that something or someone is lurking by."

Hearing this, they all concentrated and tried to figure out where danger would come from. Artemis then heard something moving in the bushes, in front of them.

"Everyone, it's coming from there!" –Artemis exclaimed.

They all looked at the bushes, and waited to see what would happen. Seconds went by, and nothing happened. They all started to think that Artemis had heard things. Still, Johnny's watch kept warning them that an enemy was near them. Tired of waiting, Luna jumped from the porch and went to investigate. She got inside the bushes, only to be thrown out of them with such force, that if it was not for Minako, she would have hit the ground pretty hard. Minako looked at Luna, and saw that she had a huge scratch on her beautiful black hair. Something or someone had attacked her, and it looked like it had no mercy to whatsoever.

"Are you alright, Luna?" –Minako asked her, as she looked at the scratch, only to see that although the scratch was huge, it was just a superficial wound.

"Over there, guys… Watch out…" –Luna

From the bushes a horrific black monster with the huge claws appeared. It was no bigger than a garden gnome, but something in it made all of them fear for their safety. His huge white eyes, showed no emotion. It had no mouth, but somehow, it could produce a strange groan, which got louder and louder. It walked on the direction of Usagi and the others.

"What is that thing?!" –Usagi asked the others.

"I don't know. I've never seen anything like it before." –Setsuna stated, as she held Hotaru close to her, wrapping both her arms around her shoulders.

"The same thing goes for us. We never saw this kind of fiend in our dimension." –George said.

"Well, whatever he is, he is not alone, guys… Look!" –Makoto exclaimed, pointing out to similar creatures that had also appeared from nowhere.

In a matter of seconds, the entire Sailor Scouts group became surrounded by these strange enemies, and although the enemies did not look like they were going to attack them, they all felt that they were dealing with something unknown, and worst, something far more dangerous, than anything they had ever faced before.


	2. Transformation Time

Chapter 2: Transformation Time

Surrounded by those enemies, the Sailor Scouts did not know what to do. If they moved, the strange fiends could attack them, but if they stayed still, they would probably be attacked too. When one of the fiends got closer to them, Makoto took her chances and kicked him away; making him fly through the air like if he was a football. Then, the rest of the enemies looked at them, and charged against them, making them jump out of their way. Usagi and Chibiusa were almost caught by one of them, who tried to grab their legs, but they easily managed to get rid of them. Ami and Rei were also able to get rid of the small group of fiends that jumped on them. They tried to run, but when they thought things could not get worst, a new kind of fiend appeared. They were quite similar to the previous ones, but these were blue and black, and had some kind of armour.

"I'm not liking this." –Ami said, as she looked at the new fiends that mixed with the previous ones.

Grabbing some of the ofuda scrolls she had with her, Rei decided that those enemies might be affected by them. Targeting them, she said:

"In the name of all powerful gods, Evil spirits begone!"

With a quick and sudden hand movement, she threw all of the ofudas at the fiends, getting every one of them, who stopped for a split second. She thought that she had been able to stop them, and a smile appeared in her face for a second, only to disappear in the next second, when the fiends grabbed the ofuda that had pinned to their heads and ripped them into shreds.

"Smooth move, Miss Superstition…" –Johnny said sarcastically.

"But I don't understand. These ofudas are the most powerful ones I have, and they worked every time I use them on enemies." –Rei replied.

"These guys obviously don't know that. We need to use brute force on them!" –George exclaimed.

"I agree with what he says. They seem to be quite difficult to kill, so we'll just have to use force to get rid of them, permanently." –Haruka said, as she kicked another enemy that was getting near to her and Michiru.

"Very well, guess there is no other choice. Everyone, transform!" –Ami agreed.

"Right!" –They all chorused.

"Mercury Crystal Power Make-Up!" –Ami exclaimed.

"Mars Crystal Power Make-Up!" –Rei exclaimed.

"Jupiter Crystal Power Make-Up!" –Makoto exclaimed.

"Venus Crystal Power Make-Up!" –Minako exclaimed.

"Uranus Crystal Power Make-Up!" –Haruka exclaimed.

"Neptune Crystal Power Make-Up!" –Michiru exclaimed.

"Pluto Crystal Power Make-Up!" –Setsuna exclaimed.

"Saturn Crystal Power Make-Up!" –Hotaru exclaimed.

"Moon Eternal Power Make-Up!" –Usagi exclaimed.

"Moon Crisis Make-Up!" –Chibisa exclaimed.

The transformations released an energy wave, which swept away the fiends that were closer to the group, giving them some manoeuvre space. After the girls all transform, the two male sailor scouts also decide to transform.

"Now that you transformed yourselves, it's time for us to do the same… Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer, Fighting Mode, Activation!" –Johnny cried out.

"Sailor Saturn Net Surfer, Fighting Mode, Activation!" –George also cried out.

Just like the other scouts, the two boys were enveloped in a strange kind of veil light, and in a matter of seconds they changed from their regular clothes, to their Sailor Scout outfits. Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer was wearing a long sleeve shirt, along with a black waistcoat featuring on his back Pluto's planetary symbol, and on the front a ribbon, just like the ones in Sailor Moon and the others' outfits. He also wore a pair of black pants and matching gloves. Red and black tennis shoes and was wearing a pair of black sunglasses. As for Sailor Saturn Net Surfer, he was wearing a similar outfit to his partner, but it was purple, his waistcoat featured Saturn's planetary symbol, and he was not wearing sunglasses. The others were a little surprised for they did not think that the uniforms wore by the boys were somehow similar to theirs, but at the same time, totally different.

"Okay, let's get this party started, or what?!" –FX asked them all.

"Right… Hold it right there! You evil creatures chose a really bad day to ruin the reception to our friend! In case you don't know, I'm the sailor warrior of love and justice… Sailor Moon!"

"And we are the Sailor Scouts, defenders of this galaxy and of every living creature that lives in it!" –Sailor Jupiter declared.

"And I say that in the name of the Moon and of the other planets, we will punish you!" –Sailor Moon exclaimed.

Without losing time, Sailor Uranus was the first one to engage an attack against the mysterious black fiends. Concentrating, she attacked with no mercy.

"World Shaking!"

Releasing a huge golden energy ball, mirroring the aspect of her guardian planet, Uranus was sure that the fiends did not stand a chance against her attack. When the energy ball hit the creatures, a huge cloud of dust and smoke, clouded their vision, and they were not able to see what happened. Everyone could see a smirk on Sailor Uranus' face, for she believed that she had triumphed. Unfortunately, when the dust settled, that smirk vanished instantly. The fiends that ad been hit by the attack did not even had a scratch on them.

"I don't believe it! My attack did not obliterate them…" –Sailor Uranus stated, still not believing what she was seeing with her own two eyes.

"Let me try!" –Sailor Mars shouted at her, as she prepared herself to launch her attack. –"Mars Fire Sniper!"

Unfortunately, Sailor Mars' attack also failed to destroy the enemies, just like Uranus had. They all tried their attacks. Sailor Mercury used her "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody" attack, while Sailor Jupiter tried to combine her "Sparkling Wide Pressure" attack with Sailor Venus "Venus Love-Me Chain" attack, but failed miserably. Instead of doing any harm to them, they just made them bigger and stronger. It was then time for Sailor Neptune, Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn to try their attacks on them, but not even they were able to do anything.

"You girls really need to come up with new and more powerful attacks." –Sailor Saturn Net Surfer stated.

"If you think you can do better, then, go ahead, destroy them!" –Sailor Mars yelled at him.

"Gladly… FX, let's show them what we are made of!"

"On it, Surfer… Let's see if you cretins like one of my attacks…" –Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer said, as he prepared himself to launch his attack. – "Freezing Inferno Blast!"

The "Freezing Inferno Blast" was similar to Sailor Uranus' "World Shaking" attack, but instead of being thrown at the enemies, there was an explosion that made huge ice crystals appear from beneath the floor, slashing and incarcerating them inside. It was a direct hit. Most of the enemies that were in front of the male Sailor Scouts were completely frozen.

"Beat that, my friends." –he rejoiced.

But then, the ice crystals started to break and the fiends came out uninjured.

"Okay, I take what I said before. Maybe it was not such a great approach." –Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer admitted, as he saw the fiends coming out from the ice crystals they were incarcerated in. –"Surfer, it's your turn!"

"Got it… Saturn's Toxic Storm!" –he said, as he fired a huge golden cloud at the fiends, which actually hurt them, but not enough to kill them. –"Drat! It didn't work either…"

"Help!" –they all heard someone crying for help.

All of them turned around and saw that Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibimoon were in trouble. A large group of fiends came out of nowhere and had cornered them. They were trying to get rid of them, by hitting and socking them, but it looked like they were not affected by those physical attacks. Sailor Mars used her "Burning Mandala" Attack on them, trying to make them disband, so that Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibimoon had a chance to get away. The effect of the attack was short, but it was more than enough for both Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibimoon to get away from danger. Just when Sailor Moon thought that she was not in danger anymore, one of the creatures jumped on her, and nearly grabbed her face. But, thanks to a well positioned punch from Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer, the creature flew away.

"Better be careful, Sailor Moon! These things might be small but they seem to be serious when it comes to fighting." –the male sailor scout said, as he punched yet another one that was coming towards him.

"If our attacks don't do them any kind of damage, than maybe we should just use plain old brute force on them." –Sailor Saturn Net Surfer yelled at the others.

"Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibimoon haven't used their attacks on them." –Sailor Saturn stated. –"Maybe their attacks are the only ones that can destroy these creatures."

"Saturn is right about that, Chibimoon. Let's give them a taste of our powers!" –Sailor Moon said.

"Yes, let's do it!" –Chibimoon agreed.

Positioning themselves, both leaders of the Sailor Scouts prepared to strike the enemies. First, it was Chibimoon who stroke them, using her "Double Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss" attack. The effect of the attack was powerful enough to repel the enemies, but not enough to destroy them. Then, Sailor Moon tried her own attack on them, hoping that they would be blown into smithereens.

"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" –she cried out, as she released the energy attack on a huge group of enemies that were approaching on her and the other scouts.

The attack lifted a huge cloud of smoke and dust, seemingly vaporizing all of them. But when the cloud faded away, they all saw that even the most powerful of Sailor Moon's attacks had done nothing to those creatures, which seemed invincible.

"Not even a scratch!" –Neptune exclaimed.

"These things are invincible!" –Sailor Venus said.

"They must have a weak spot… We just have to find it!" –Sailor Mercury said, as she activated her Mercury Goggles and grabbed her micro super-computer, I order to scan the creatures and find out anything about them.

"Hang on, I'll give you a hand, Mercury!" –Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer stated, as he pushed a miniaturized button on his sunglasses, which activated a small that covered half of his arm until its elbow, and seemed to look like a small computer. –"You're not the only one with gadgets, girl friend."

That last comment made Mercury giggle. FX knew he had a certain charm, which helped him dating any girl he wanted, but right that moment was not the time to think about it. He knew they were in trouble, and needed to find a way to help Mercury finding a weak spot on those creatures. They both quickly ran a scan on them and were amazed with what they saw.

"This can't be right! According to my computer scanner these things don't even exist!" –Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer exclaimed, while checked the results again.

"The same goes for mine… They have no energy signature of any kind. It's like they were mere shadows of actual creatures." –Sailor Mercury stated. –"The infrared scope on my goggles doesn't even pick them up…"

"You're saying that these creatures are here, but it's like they weren't?" –Sailor Jupiter asked, as she punched yet another of those creatures.

"Exactly… Look out, everyone!" –Sailor Mercury warned.

From the sky, a new kind of creatures appeared, but these had wings on them. They were about twenty or more of them, and they plunged into ground, with one target in their mind, the Sailor Scouts. They all jumped out of the way of those creatures. Unfortunately, one of those creatures actually succeeded in capturing one of them, Sailor Chibimoon. The creatures had grabbed her, by using its claws and started to go up at full speed. When they realised what was going on, they knew they had to do something, but they could not try to shoot the creature out of the sky, for they might hit Chibimoon. At the creature took off with Chibimoon, going to the distance until you could not see it, the dark fiends started to disappear as fast as they had appeared before.

"They're getting way. It's like they had came here just for one purpose…" –Luna said, as she and Artemis got out of their hideout.

"And that purpose was probably to snatch Chibimoon. We need to save her!" –Sailor Moon exclaimed.


	3. To the Rescue

Chapter 3: To The Rescue

What had started has a welcome party for Chibiusa had become one of the strangest battles that the Sailor Scouts ever faced. Strange creatures that resembled living shadows had appeared out of nowhere and attacked them, taking Chibiusa with them. With no time to spare, all members of the Sailor Scouts knew they had to worry for they did not know what those creatures, or whoever that was commanding them wanted with her.

"How are we going to follow them?! They disappeared into thin air." –Sailor Moon stated, as she looked around, looking for something that might give them a clue to where they had taken their friend.

"Take it easy, Sailor Moon. Whatever they wanted with Sailor Chibimoon, they probably need her alive." –Sailor Saturn said, trying to calm her down.

"She's right, you know? If they did not need Small Lady alive, they would have killed her right here." –Sailor Pluto agreed with her usual serene voice.

"And thank God they didn't, otherwise, we would not have a clue to follow." –Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer said, as he tapped on the buttons of the mini computer of his.

"What do you mean by that?" –Sailor Mars asked him, intrigued.

"Well, it just happens that the creature that carried off Sailor Chibimoon away left us an energy trail to follow, that I'm picking up on my computer scan. If we follow it, we'll find it." –He answered her.

"But you and Mercury said that these creatures don't have any kind of energy signature… How can that be possible?" –Sailor Mars asked them.

"The ones that attacked us don't have it, but the one that carried away Sailor Chibimoon had an energy signature, thus leaving an energy trail behind it, for us to follow." –He explained her with a rather calm voice, without taking his eyes of the sky.

"And where does that trail lead?" –Sailor Moon asked him.

"Somewhere into the centre of the city…" –Sailor Mercury answered.

"We have to get there fast, and for that we're going to need a transport to get there." –FX Destroyer stated.

"I think I can help out with that… Follow me, everyone!" –Sailor Saturn Net Surfer said, as he headed to the Shrine's stairwell.

The others followed him. Once in the street, they saw that he was looking for something. What was it that he was looking for, none of them knew. He walked through the sidewalk, looking around. Sailor Saturn, who was intrigued, ran towards him and asked him what he was doing.

"Could you tell me what you're doing?"

"Simple… I'm looking for a car… Aha! This one here should do the trick!" –He said, as he got something out of his jacket's left pocket. The rest of the Sailor Scouts caught up with them, and wondered what he was going to do… all, except for Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer, who knew already what his partner had in mind. The object that he had in his hands looked like a small ink ribbon, but it was larger and had some kind of pins attached to it. He gently put it on the red car's roof and pressed a hidden button in it. The device beeped as some kind of black liquid covered the car completely. In a few seconds, the car started to change, becoming bigger and larger. In a couple of seconds, the small car had been transformed into a car that resembled Batman's Batmobile from Tim Burton's films, but it was blue and red. You could also see that a few of its traces, reminded them about the Matrix movies. The girls all wowed.

"What just happened?" –Sailor Jupiter asked. –"How were you able to turn that small red car into this awesome machine?"

"Technology from our dimension, toots... In our time, thanks to a special substance called Chrysalisium, which was created during the war against the Black Moon clan, we are able to change anything into whatever we want… In this case, we pre-programmed the substance to turn the car into a car similar to the one that the Sailor Scouts use in our world. Try to imagine the kind of weapons we can create in our dimension, by using it." –Sailor Saturn Net Surfer explained them. –"Not only it's pretty, but it's also equipped with everything you can think of, everyone… weapons, tracking devices, and a very powerful engine. The perfect car for pursuits and fighting evil creatures"

"I just have to say two things, this is amazing, and don't call me toots, okay?! I hate it when people call me that!" –Sailor Jupiter hissed.

"Sorry… Guess I touched a weak point." –He stated.

"In that case, let me baptize the car as the "Moon Wheel"!" –Sailor Moon exclaimed with an enthusiastic voice, as the others gave her a look that would instantly melt an iceberg. –"What, what is it?! You don't like it? If you don't like it, we can always come up with another name…" –She said with her spontaneous voice.

"Why don't we come up with a name for it later, and go save Chibimoon, right now?" –Sailor Mars asked them all, who nodded affirmatively with their heads.

Entering the car, they all took their places, with Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer at the wheel. Usually, Sailor Uranus would have demand him to let her take the car, but when she looked inside, and saw its interior, with all those buttons and screens in it, she decided to just sit right next to Neptune, without complaining about it. Luna and Artemis hopped into Sailor Venus' lap. Once they were all inside the car, Sailor Mercury asked:

"You guys haven't explained us how are we going to find Sailor Chibimoon with this car?"

"One moment, please… We're going to use the signature tracking system, which is similar to the one you and I have in our personal micro supercomputers." –FX Destroyer said, as he pressed a great amount of buttons in the panel. Suddenly, the front-window changed colour, going from a mildly black to a light-blue, turning itself into what looked like a computer screen, beeping some kind of information. –"According to the computer, the energy signature of the creature that took Sailor Chibimoon is heading to the centre of the city, more precisely, Downtown, where there is a very peculiar energy field, which goes off the charts."

"Whatever it is, it must be really big, folks." –Sailor Saturn Net Surfer stated.

"Then, what are we waiting for?! Let's go after it and get Chibimoon back!" –Sailor Jupiter exclaimed.

"You read my mind, girl… Put on seat belts, and get ready… Next stop, Tokyo downtown, everyone!" –Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer said, as he turned on the car's engine.

Speeding through the streets, the Sailor Scouts were surprised by the speed the car was going. Even though the streets were packed with traffic, it looked like that did not stop the car from heading to its destination. They did not know if it was the car that was manoeuvrable, or if it was FX Destroyer that was a great driver. In a matter of minutes, they were arriving downtown, and now all they needed to do was pinpoint the exact location of the creature that had taken their friend. Another thing they all noticed was the fact that it was getting quite hot. The further they went, the hotter it got.

"Can you raise the air conditioner? I'm sweating as if I was in a sauna!" –Sailor Venus stated, as she used her left hand as a fan, trying to keep cool.

"Sorry, it's already on maximum, Venus…"

"This heat is not normal, even for July." –Sailor Moon said.

"I bet that it has something to do with the strange enemies that have been attacking us! They must be behind this strange phenomenon." –Sailor Saturn stated, as she looked through the window, realizing that they were people lying on the ground, fainted. –"People lying on the ground isn't normal. It has to be connected."

"According to the thermometer, temperature out there is almost 55ºC! This can't be right!" –Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer exclaimed, as he turned left.

"I don't think it's an error. Look outside, everyone!" –Sailor Jupiter pointed, as the others all looked through the window.

In fact, people lying on the ground was just one of the many examples of what was really going on. Tree leafs started to turn orange, yellow and brown, like if it was autumn already, and were falling into the ground. The shop windows started to shatter due to the massive heat. In conclusion, it was like the gates of Hell had been opened.

"It looks like it's so hot that you could fry an egg on the asphalt." –Sailor Saturn Net Surfer said.

"We need to stop this, right now, or people will die." –Sailor Moon thought to herself, as she watched to horrible show that was going on outside.

"Have you picked up where the signature is coming from?" –Sailor Mercury asked, as she also used her laptop to try and pinpoint its exact location.

"Almost… I'm calculating the coordinates, based on the energy signatures. Think you can help me with it?" –Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer asked her.

"Hmm… Sure, according to my computer the biggest energy peak is coming from 35° 39′ 31″ N, 139° 44′ 44″ E." –Sailor Mercury declared.

"Tokyo Tower in Shiba Park!" –Sailor Uranus exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's right, but how did you know that those coordinates belonged to the Tokyo Tower?" –Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer asked her, astounded with that.

"Didn't need to… I just looked through the window." –Uranus stated with a rather calm voice, as she pointed into the tower.

The Tower's base was covered in what looked like some kind of goo that was spreading rapidly, covering it.

"If Chibiusa was here right now, she would say that the tower looked like it was covered with black liquorish… And then we would laugh about it, without caring about anything else." –Saturn told herself, as a little smile appeared on her face, and a small tear rolled down her cheek. –"We're going to save you, Chibiusa, don't worry."

Taking the main roads, FX Destroyer did everything he could to get to Shiba Park. Unfortunately, this proved to be a wrong decision. Due to the extreme heat, people fainted while driving. Some of the cars had crashed into something, while others, just stood in the middle of the road. Still, he managed to use alternative routes, which made it easier for them to reach their destination. As they got nearer Shiba Park, things looked even worse than before. The thermometer continued to rise, as they advanced. They all stated to think that when they reached their destination and had to exit from the car, it would be almost impossible to bear that overheating temperature. Still, inside the car the temperature was starting to rise, even though the air conditioner was on max. But suddenly, the temperature started to drop off rapidly. They checked the thermometer and saw that the outside temperature was 20 degrees.

"But how is that even possible?!" –Sailor Mars asked.

"If my readings are right, there's some kind of invisible force field around the tower, which prevents the grounds surrounding it from being as hot as the rest of the city." –Sailor Mercury answered.

"If that's true, then, whoever is responsible for this has to be quite powerful, I mean, it can't be one of the monsters that we are always fighting against. Those are usually not powerful enough to accomplish something such as this." –Sailor Neptune declared.

"I agree. It must be someone as powerful as Nehelenia or Galaxia herself." –Sailor Uranus said, agreeing with her partner.

"Well, whoever, or whatever it is, we'll soon find out." –Sailor Saturn Net Surfer said.

After they parked the car, they all exited as fast as they could. Seeing it from up close, they found out that what was covering the tower was not some kind of goo. What was covering it were millions of those tiny black creatures that had attacked them earlier. They were so close to each others that from afar, they looked like a huge living mass. All the Sailor Scouts were amazed and stunned by what they were seeing.

"There must be millions and millions of these creatures covering the tower." –Sailor Moon said, as she looked up, trying to see just how many they were.

"But whatever it is that's generating this kind of energy, it's not them. With the exception of those flying creatures that are flying around the tower, which possess a small energy signature, like the one who took Chibimoon, the others don't present any kind of energy." –Sailor Mercury stated, using again her laptop. –"It's something else, something big… and it's coming from inside the tower."

"Can you detect if Chibimoon is inside the tower too?" –Sailor Venus asked.

With agile and quick moves, Mercury's fingers tapped on her microcomputer's keyboard. In a matter of seconds she had the answer that her fellow Sailor friend wanted. Sailor Chibimoon was inside the tower, along with a few more people.

"She's up there alright, and so are other people." –Mercury answered.

"Then, there's only one thing to do, we have to go up and save her!" –Uranus declared, tensely.

"But how are we going to get inside with these many creatures, impeding us from going up?" –Sailor Venus asked when something hit her directly on her left shoulder.

It was one of the creatures who had jumped on her and was not trying to hurt her by using its claws. The others saw what was going on, and quickly helped her out. Sailor Neptune ripped the creature of Sailor Venus' back with her both hands, quickly throwing it to the other side. Unfortunately, this proved to be futile, because the creature bounced again, trying to grab Venus, but this time it hit Sailor Saturn Net Surfer's fist, which through it even farther away from where it had first land. At the same time, dozens if not hundreds of those black creatures jumped out of where they were and attacked the unprepared group.

"Great! Now we have hundreds of them surrounding us!" –Sailor Mars cried out.

"How are we going to save Sailor Chibimoon and the people who are stuck up there, if they keep coming at us?" –Sailor Jupiter asked.

"Like this!"

With a well positioned kick, Sailor Mercury kicked one of the creatures with all her strength, making it fly up into the air. The others all looked at her, rather shocked and astounded, for they never had seen their friend act like that before, either as in her civilian form, or when transformed into a Sailor Scout. When she noticed that they all were looking at her, she asked them.

"What are you looking at?!" –she asked with an innocent voice.

"N-Nothing… It's just that we never saw you acting like that before…" –Sailor Moon said. –"Usually, it's Sailor Uranus who behaves like that."

"Hey! I don't behave like that all the time!" –She objected.

"Yes, you do, silly…" –Sailor Neptune giggled, as she looked at Uranus, who smiled back at her. –"You just don't realize that, because you have a really strong personality, that's all."

"Ladies… I don't want to break the romance, or anything, but…" –Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer said; as he punched two creatures, back to where they came. –"… we got a situation here!"

"He's right, come on!" –Sailor Mars said seriously, as she advanced through the huge amount of enemies that were now surrounding them, kicking every single one of them. The others all did the same thing. If their attacks did not work on them, the only thing they could do was to shove them aside, making it possible for them to enter the tower.

Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars took the lead, while Sailor Neptune and Sailor Venus took the rear, making sure that they would not get close to them. As for the others, they all tried to find a way to keep the enemies as far away as possible from them. Sailor Saturn even decided to use her Silence Glaive as a baseball bat. Making their way to the tower's interior, Sailor Moon kept only one thought in her mind.

"We're coming, Chibiusa! Just hang on a little bit more, because we're arriving!"


	4. Sailor Earth's Awakening

Chapter 4: Sailor Earth's Awakening

On the Main Observatory, things did not look good for the people who were trapped there. Black creatures were jumping from on side to the other, trashing everything they could put their claws on. But the worst part of it, was the fact that there was a huge creature, bigger than the others and had the appearance of a black octopus. Its head was in blazes, making it look like a fire demon. Its eyes were of the same colour as the others creatures, but there was something in them that made them look different. The black and red tentacles were swirling around, grabbing everything and everyone that got in their path. After being captured by the tentacles, each person was enveloped by them, until they were encased in a dark sphere. These spheres looked like they were some sort of capsules, in which people were put in. What happened once they were encased, one could only guess. Sailor Chibimoon, who was brought to that place, was now chained, both arms and legs to one of the walls. The chains that were restraining her were made out of some kind of substance, similar to the one that the strange creatures were made of. She had tried to get free, but ever since the creatures had caught her, it looked to her as if her whole strength was being sucked right out of her. Each second it passed, she felt weaker and weaker. Her eyes were getting sleepy and her body heavier, like if she was about to fell asleep.

"What are these creatures, and what do they want from me?" –She asked herself, as she tried to stay awake.

That's when she felt something cold crawling over her leg, making her shiver. She looked down and saw that one of the creatures looked like it was seeing if she was still awake. The creature grunted when their eyes met just for a brief second, and then went away. Trying to stay awake, Chibimoon focused on what was happening around her. She saw the spheres where people were being put in by the huge creature, and wondered why they were doing that. She also noticed that there was still a person who had not been captured by the creatures. The Sailor Scout tried to figure out if it was a man or a woman who was hiding behind a counter, near where she was, but her eyes were too tired to see it. She once again tried to break free from the chains, but it was in vain. That's when she heard a loud noise. It looked to her like a shot, and had come from the elevators. It was the rest of the Sailor Scouts, looking for her. They had to use the elevators to get there, which did not prove to be an easy task. The shaft was also crawling with those creatures, and they had to get rid of them, as they tried to enter in the elevator. Thankfully, the two male Scouts had a couple of device, which enable them from getting too close. But just when they had reached the Main Observatory floor, the doors were shut, and did not open. Telling them all to get behind him, Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer used his version of the Time Sceptre, which was actually a futuristic black and silver shotgun, to open the elevator doors. The blast was as loud as you can imagine, making their ears buzz for awhile, as it opened a huge hole in the doors.

"Couldn't you use anything else to open the door?! Did you really have to use that weapon?!" –Sailor Uranus yelled at him.

"It was either this, or a pack of C4, Uranus, and besides, it worked didn't?!" –He exclaimed, irritably.

"Could you two argue later? We have trouble coming right at us!" –Sailor Jupiter hissed at them, as she needed to use her "Supreme Thunder Attack" to repel a bunch of enemies who were trying to enter in the elevator.

Both Uranus and Pluto FX Destroyer nodded silently, and quickly exited the elevator, followed closely by the rest of the group. Once out of the elevator, they all saw that their situation was way worst than they were expecting. The place was crawling with those creatures, but the worst part was the giant creature that was standing in front of them. It was way bigger than any of the ones they had seen so far, and it looked like 10 times more menacing than the ones they had faced to get there.

"This just keeps getting better and better." –Sailor Saturn Net Surfer said, sarcastically, as he also made appear a weapon of his own; a high-tech crossbow, which had a similar design to the Silent Glaive.

"Its times like this I would have rather stay home today." –Sailor Venus mumbled to herself.

"This isn't just your everyday monster, now is it?" –Sailor Mars drawled, showing no fear of what was surrounding her.

"Where is Chibimoon?!" –Sailor Moon asked, as she looked around, finally finding her, where she was chained against her will.

Creatures started jumping on them, but they managed to outsmart them, by evading their attacks. Knowing that they would never be able to take care of everything if they stuck together, Sailor Uranus decided to go against the giant creature by herself, hoping that her attack would at least hurt it. Sailor Neptune, realizing what she was attempting to do followed her. Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn also followed them. Knowing that the four of them usually liked to work alone, Sailor Moon decided that while they tried to attack the creature that looked the main responsible for what was happening all over Tokyo, she and the others would try to release Chibimoon. As for Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer and Sailor Saturn Net Surfer, they both decided to try and find a way to destroy the enemies that surrounded them, or at least, to keep them at a distance from all of them.

"Let's use our weapons to take out these suckers, dude!" –Sailor Saturn Net Surfer exclaimed, as he pointed his crossbow to one of the little creatures that was standing in front of him.

"Okay, let's do it!" –Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer agreed with a confident voice, as he also pointed his shotgun. –"You go first… I always like to save my attacks for last."

"Why's that?"

"Because my attacks are more powerful and far more dangerous than yours are, of course." –FX answered.

"Are not… and I'll prove that to you, right here, right now!" –Net Surfer replied, as he got ready to use his attack. –"Saturn's Light Arrow!"

The arrow was shot with an incredible velocity, hitting the ground, releasing a powerful blast of light that engulfed the enemies. Usually, that attack was powerful enough to destroy any kind of enemies, in those creatures case, it merely stunned them temporarily. Still, it was more than enough for both of them to counter attack.

At the same time, Uranus and her group tried everything they could think of against the huge creature that was standing in front of them. But each time they attacked it, it looked like it was growing stronger, like if it sucked the energy right off their attacks. Somehow desperate, they all agreed to combine their attacks into one single attack, that with some luck, it would at least cause that creature some pain.

"Space Sword Blaster!"

"Submarine Reflection!"

"Chronos Typhoon!"

"Silence Glaive Surprise!"

The four Sailor Scouts' attacks were fired at the same time, and united into a single beam of pure energy, which hit the monster. Unfortunately, this only caused the creature to grow bigger. This one also started to mutate. Its arms became larger and longer, and the flames that covered some parts of his body, were now starting to cover all of its body. But the worst part was that it revealed its huge mouth. When the creature opened it, something was shot at them. It was the energy of their attacks that had been used against them, making the four girls being blown away into the air, like if they were nothing but pieces of paper. They hit the ground pretty badly, and for a few seconds Sailor Neptune thought that she had broken her arm, because of the pain that she was feeling. Sailor Saturn almost lost consciousness, but was able to gather strength to stay awake. Holding the Glaive with both her hands, she pulled herself up, which proved to be a harder task than she thought.

"I-Is it possible that this monster doesn't have a weakness?!" –Sailor Saturn asked herself, as she looked at it.

Sailor Pluto got back on her feet, with the help of Sailor Uranus. Still holding the Garnet Orb in her left hand, she tried to focus on what was going on around her.

"That monster has an incredible strength, no doubt about it." –Sailor Uranus said. –"It used the energy of our own attacks to grow stronger, and then, turned it against us."

"At least, we won't be fooled twice by the same trick, which I can assure you." –Sailor Pluto said, as she tried to straighten up.

Then, she and Uranus saw that Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer was running towards them, with his shotgun pointed at their faces. His facial expression was as cold as you could get, which scared Pluto for a brief second. Not knowing what he was doing, or what he had in mind, she just asked:

"What are you doing?!" –Sailor Pluto asked him, as he got closer to them.

"Get down!" –He yelled.

"What?!" –Sailor Uranus asked.

"I said, get down! Hit the deck, you two!" –As he fired his attack. –"Charon Explosion!"

The Charon Explosion attack was in many ways similar to Pluto's Death Scream attack, but instead of being just an energy orb, it were three energy orbs, fired from the shotgun, which rotated at high speed, exploding when it came into contact with an object or an enemy. Both Sailors leapt into the ground, avoiding being hit by the attack. That's when they noticed that the one of the monster's tentacles was about to grab them, but thanks to FX Destroyer intervention, it had failed. Uranus grimed back at him, and said:

"Thanks…We owe you one." –She declared, meaning every word she said.

"No need to thanks, it was my pleasure. But you two better watch your back, next time." –he said as he fired once again the same attack at another tentacle. Unfortunately, this time, he failed his target, and ended up breaking up a few windows of the Main Observatory deck. The sound of shattered glass was heard by everyone, but not even that was enough to distract them from their mission, especially Sailor Moon. While Uranus and the others batted the giant creature, she Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter were trying to release Sailor Chibimoon from the chains that were restraining her against her will.

"It's no use, Sailor Moon! These chains look like they are made of the same stuff these creatures are." –Sailor Jupiter declared, as she tried to pull the chains out of the wall.

"No! We have to keep trying! I'm not going to let Chibimoon chained to this wall… That's not an option!" –Sailor Moon cried out, as she herself started pulling the chains with her hands.

"Maybe we can try using one our attacks to try and destroy these chains." –Sailor Venus suggested, as she prepared to use one of her attacks. –"Crescent Beam!"

With surgical precision, Venus fired her attack, a single beam of light at the chains, and tried to cut them, like if she was using a laser to do it. Unfortunately, that proved to be a waste of time, for the chains were not even scratched by it. Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars kept trying to keep the creatures away from the others. Using the "Burning Mandala attack" and the "Supreme Thunder Attack", they were trying little by little gain some manoeuvre space.

"Come on, Chibimoon! Don't give up! We're right here with you, okay?" –Sailor Moon tried to keep her awake, which was proving a difficult task, since Chibimoon looked weaker every second it passed. Slowly raising her head, she used all the strength she still had within her to open her eyes. She tried to talk, but when she tried, not a sound came from her mouth. She tried harder to talk, but all she could do was whisper something, that only Sailor Moon, who was close to her was able to hear.

"T-There's someone… someone hidden, behind… behind the counter, o-over there…" –She whispered, while pointing out the place with her eyes.

Sailor Moon looked to the counter and saw that someone was really behind it, hiding from the creatures. All of a sudden, one of the creatures was able to escape Sailor Jupiter's and Sailor Mars' attacks and jumped on her, with its razor-sharp claws, trying to shred her into pieces. Sailor Mercury and Sailor Venus saw it, and prepared to help her, when something hit the creature, knocking it into the ground. They all looked to the object that hit the creature, and found out that it was a rose… a red rose. Sailor Moon recognized it as being one of the roses of their most trusted ally, who was now standing on the porch of one of the shattered windows.

"Tuxedo Mask!" –She exclaimed, as she watched him, smiling at her, with his usual mysterious smile.

The others hearing Sailor Moon yelling his name, all turned their attention to where he was standing.

"You foul creatures should not attack a girl, especially if that girl is risking her life to save another life! I, Tuxedo Mask will not allow you to do as you please!" –he declared, as he jumped, landing right next to Sailor Moon.

"About time he decided to show up!" –Sailor Uranus said, as she punched another creature.

"I'm sorry if I'm late, but I got stuck by these creatures at the entrance." –He stated, as he looked to Chibimoon. –"What happened to her?"

"These creatures have chained her up to the wall. She's getting weaker by the minute, and has told me that there's someone who's hiding behind that counter." –Sailor Moon said. –"Take Sailor Venus with you, and see if you can rescue that person and get her out of here, safely, while I, Sailor Mercury and the others try to break these chains.

Tuxedo Mask nodded affirmatively at her and then proceeded to do as he was told. Venus followed him close. The creatures, decided to make him as their main target. Charging at him, he was forced to use all of his tricks to secure a path for him and Sailor Venus. That's when he noticed the two male Scouts that were with them. At first, he saw that as strange, but then assumed that whoever they were, if they were helping the girls, then they would have to be good guys. Finally, they reached the counter, and looked down to see who it was that was hiding there. It was a girl with reddish-brown waved hair with a dark-green ribbon on top of her head. Her eyes were light-blue, just like Usagi's. She was wearing an orange shirt and a pair of blue jeans, as well as a pair of white sneakers. For a moment, he did not recognize her, but then, Tuxedo Mask looked more closely and saw who she really was… It was Naru, one of Usagi's oldest and dearest friends. It had been almost a year since they had seen each other, but Usagi still considered her as one of her best friends, and the same thing could be said about Naru. Their paths diverged just right after Haruka and Michiru appeared for the first time. Ever since then, their lived took different paths, but it looked like, their paths had crossed again, after all this time. Mamoru even remembered that Usagi once told him that Naru seemed to always get herself into trouble, all because of the enemies that were after her and the other Sailor Scouts. Being called back to reality by Sailor Venus, Tuxedo Mask snapped out of that momentary flashback, and asked:

"Are you okay, Miss?" –He politely asked her.

"Y-Yes… I think I am. T-Tell me, what are these creatures?" –Naru asked, tensely, as she looked at him.

"I don't know, but we need to get you out of here…" –He said, when he was interrupted by a crashing sound.

The huge octopus-like creature had decided to target Tuxedo Mask, and using one of his tentacles, he smashed it into the ground, making the ground tremble, and the rest of the windows to crack open, leaving it to many other creatures to enter in the Main Observatory. Then, another tentacle tried to grab Tuxedo Mask, but only managed to destroy the counter, in which Naru was hidden. Fortunately, she was able to get out of the counter, before it was cracked up like a walnut. If it was not for her quick reflexes, the girl would have been crushed, along with it. Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Venus were forced to also jump out of the way of the creature's tentacle, before being crushed by it. But, she ran out of luck, when one of the tentacles grabbed her by the ankles and started pulling her towards the creature. Seeing that the girl was in danger, Sailor Saturn tried to cast her Silence Wall attack on her, but failed. Sailor Venus tried to grab her hand, but was not fast enough. Tuxedo Mask on the other hand was able to grab her left hand. As soon as their hands touched, something strange happened. Their bodies shivered, like if a lightning had stroked them. Then, the creature pulled Naru, and they both let go each other's hands. Naru kept looking at Tuxedo Mask, as dozens of creatures pilled on top of him, trying to restrain him. She wanted to cry out for help, but it was like if her tongue had been cut out, and she could not pronounce a sound, no matter how high or low it was. Her eyes then looked around, and she saw Sailor Moon. For a moment, their eyes met, and they both looked to each other. Sailor Moon recognized her immediately.

"Naru…" –Sailor Moon whispered to herself.

She wanted to help her friend, but her body froze as she saw Naru being encased by the octopus-like creature, into the same kind of spheres that the other persons were in. Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune still tried to prevent it from happening, but were both repelled by it, only to be caught by Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer and Sailor Saturn Net Surfer. All of the Scouts looked as Naru was trapped in the sphere. The moment was almost surrealistic. But as soon as she was encased, a small crack opened in the sphere, letting out a bright light from inside. The crack began to get bigger, and all of them, including the creatures, looked closely at what was happening. Then, the sphere broke open, releasing a light as bright as the Sun itself, which continued to glow for what looked like an eternity. Not only that, it seemed that a strange wave of silence had been cast on that place, and not a sound was heard. Then, the silence was broken, when they heard someone yelling:

"Earth Crystal Power Make-Up!"

As the incandescent light began to fade away, slowly they all saw what looked like a silhouette, standing up on her feet. She was dressed with a Sailor outfit, being her skirt light-brown, and the ribbon on her chest was dark-green, mirroring the one she had in her head. And her boots were light-brown, just like the skirt. On her forehead you could see a tiara with a dark-green jewel stone carved in it. She had her arms crossed and her eyes looked like they had the ability of melt an iceberg just by looking at it.

"You vile creatures think you can get away with this kind of destruction, don't you?! And furthermore, you think you can hurt my prince and get away unpunished? Well, think again! I, Sailor Earth, protected by the power of planet Earth, my guardian, will not allow you to get away with it, you hear me?!" –She exclaimed.

None of the Sailor Scouts were prepared for what they just had witnessed, the awakening of an unknown Sailor Scout, Sailor Earth. And the most amazing thing was that they never even suspected that this Sailor Scout would be Naru, a girl, who the Inner Scouts had saved so many times, while fighting evil. Sailor Moon was the one who was more impressed with all that, and could not take her eyes of Sailor Earth, as she opened a path to where Tuxedo Mask was, and with a smooth move of her left arm, she made the creatures who were grasping to him, to let him go. She then gave her hand to him, and helped him to get up on his feet. As he got up, what looked to him like a flashback sequence appeared in his mind, making him remember of what happened, and why Sailor Earth had not been awakened like the other Sailor Scouts, when they were reborn in their earthly forms.

"Forgive me, my prince, for not been able to protect you." –She sighed, and bowed her head, asking him for his forgiveness, to which he put his hand on her shoulder and said:

"It was not your fault, Sailor Earth… None of what happened was your fault." –He said with a calm voice. –"But we'll discuss this matter later. Right now, another enemy is attacking our world, and more than ever, we need all the help we can get. You think you're strong enough to fight along our side?"

"Yes…" –She said, as she looked into the eyes of the other Sailor Scouts, who were watching the scene. After that, she ran towards where Sailor Moon was and told her with a calm voice: "Leave this to me, Sailor Moon… I'll free her from these chains."

Sailor Moon did not know what to say, so she merely got out of the way and let Sailor Earth do what she thought it would help Chibimoon. She placed her hands on the wall, and soon, what looked like roots started to come out of it. In a matter of seconds, the roots started to mesh with the chains, and then, these shattered. Chibimoon was caught by Sailor Earth, who smiled to her. Sailor Earth also smiled back, displaying a more tender side, something that Naru had always displayed with the ones who loved her.

"Are you alright, Sailor Chibimoon?"

"Y-Yes… A l-little weak, but I'll be a-alright." –Sailor Chibimoon replied, as she tried to keep her eyes opened.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine… Sailor Moon, take care of her, please."

"S-Sure… Naru, I mean, Sailor Earth, I…"

"You're wondering what is going on, and how come I did not appear before, am I right? There will be time for me to explain that… Meanwhile, we have a problem to solve." –Sailor Earth said, as she handed Chibimoon to Sailor Moon.

"You're right! Go get those creatures, my friend."

Nodding at her, Sailor Earth dashed away, with two objectives in her mind; to protect Tuxedo Mask and to beat the crud of every enemy that appeared in front of her. Although she did not know what was really going on, her suppressed memories started to fill the blanks in her head, and her body acted on instinct. Concentrating, she unleashed her full wrath on the creatures.

"Roots of Fate!" –Sailor Earth cried out.

Her attack unleashed a powerful sonic wave, through the ground, like an earthquake. Then, huge and thick vines ripped the floor beneath their feet, attacking any enemy that appeared in front of it, by grabbing them, and then, quickly squeezing them. But, even this attack, which amazed some of the Scouts by the kind of raw power that unleashed upon the creatures, was not enough to destroy them. Still, this did not discourage the new Sailor Scout. Whoever those creatures were, they would not stop her from carrying out her mission.


	5. The Keyblade

Chapter 5: The Keyblade

The battle got fiercer than before. The creatures became restless, even more than before, like if something far greater than them was getting nearer. Helped by the newly awakened Sailor Earth, the Sailor Scouts were giving their best to repel the creatures, using all their attacks to do it.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" –Sailor Mercury exclaimed.

"Mars Fire Sniper!" –Sailor Mars exclaimed.

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" –Sailor Jupiter exclaimed.

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" –Sailor Venus exclaimed.

"World Shaking!" –Sailor Uranus exclaimed.

"Deep Submerge!" –Sailor Neptune exclaimed.

"Dead Scream!" –Sailor Pluto exclaimed.

"Silence Glaive Surprise!" –Sailor Saturn exclaimed.

"Freezing Inferno Blast!" –Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer exclaimed.

"Saturn's Toxic Storm!" –Sailor Saturn Net Surfer exclaimed.

"Roots of Fate!" –Sailor Earth exclaimed.

Still, none of these attacks seemed to produce any kind of damage on the creatures that just kept appearing, from everywhere. In a matter of seconds, these creatures became so numerous that all Sailor Scouts started to converge into a small circle, surrounding Sailor Moon, Sailor Chibimoon and Tuxedo Mask. They all were ready to give up their lives, if that meant the survival of their Princess and the others. As they continued to fight, Sailor Moon kept trying to reanimate Chibimoon, who was still too weak. Whatever those creatures had done to her, it had depleted her of most of her energy.

"Chibimoon… Come on, wake up, please!" –Sailor Moon cried out to herself, as her fingers pass through the girl's cheeks. Her skin was as pale as white marble, and her breathing was quite weak.

All of sudden, all creatures stopped and ceased their attack. It was like if time had stopped, and nothing could move… Nothing, except for the Sailor Scouts.

"What just happened?" –Sailor Neptune asked, as she looked around and saw all the creatures standing still, like if they were statues.

"I don't know… It's like someone stopped time flux." –Sailor Mercury stated, as she tapped on her micro-computer, trying to find a logical explanation to what was going on.

When she said that, everyone looked towards Sailor Pluto and Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer with accusing eye looks.

"I have nothing to do with this, believe me." –Sailor Pluto declared with a serene voice.

"The same thing goes for me." –Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer stated with a defensive voice. –"I know that I have enough power to stop time, but I'm not allowed to do it… and I bet all my lucky charms that neither you are allowed to do it, am I right?" –He asked to Sailor Pluto, to which she nodded.

"Well, if it wasn't one of you, then, who stopped these creatures?" –Sailor Jupiter asked.

"IT WAS I WHO STOPPPED THEM!!!"

A deep inner voice was heard by all of them, and then, a sinister and evil laugh filled the entire floor, sending shivers up their spines. They looked around, trying to see from where that voice had come from. All of a sudden, the air became chilly, like if a snow storm had just break in there. Then, what looked like a portal made out of living shadows, which kept on swirling, giving the idea of being some kind of mist, appeared not far from where the Scouts were. They all observed it, waiting for something to happen. They just knew something was about to happen, but they did not have a clue of what it could be. Finally, something did happen. Coming out of that dark mist, a tall, thin, pale green skinned woman with yellow eyes and a horned headdress, presented itself in front them. She was wearing what looked to them like a black and purple robe with bat wing-like edges, wearing a gold ring with a large mysterious circular black stone in it. In her left hand, she was carrying a staff with glowing green crystal orb at the tip. Also, a raven rested on her right shoulder. The woman had a malicious smile in her face, as she looked around. The creatures that were near her, gave a step back, thus creating a small corridor towards the Sailor Scouts. Not taking any chances, the group never let their guard down. Walking towards them, the woman kept staring at them. To the group, it was like if her eyes pierced their bodies with the sharpest of the knives.

"Who are you?!" –Sailor Uranus asked her, snarling at her.

"Are you the one who is controlling these creatures?!" –Sailor Jupiter also asked her.

The woman's smile became even scarier then before. She let out a laugh that would freeze the souls of the bravest of the warriors. Still, none of the Sailor Scouts had intentions of showing her if they were afraid of her. Finally, her laugh ceased and she answered with a voice similar to what they all imagined to be a voice that a snake would have.

"My, my, what an impressive group you are." –She said as she stopped just a few a couple of meters away from where the group was. –"From all of the problems that I had to deal with, you certainly are one of the biggest. But, allow me to introduce myself. I am Maleficent and these are my loyal subjects and warriors, the Heartless."

"Heartless?! So that is the name of these evil creatures." –Sailor Mars said, as she looked to Maleficent.

"What do you want from us?" –Sailor Neptune asked her.

"From you, I don't want anything… It's that girl over there that I want. Her Heart is certainly one of the purest Hearts I've ever felt. It's not as pure as the Hearts of the 7 Princesses of Heart, but still, it will make a splendid acquisition in our attempt to create and open Kingdom Hearts." –Maleficent said.

None of them really understood what was going on. They did not understand what the woman was talking about… Hearts… Princesses of Heart… Kingdom Hearts? To them, they were nothing more than mere words.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but you're not taking Chibimoon away without a fight!" –Sailor Venus exclaimed, as her partner Artemis, who was right beside her, looked at Maleficent with.

"She's right! If you want Small Lady, you'll have to go through me, first!" –Sailor Pluto declared, as she pointed the Garnet Orb.

"You'll have to go through all of us, you witch!" –Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer exclaimed, as he pointed his shotgun, targeting Maleficent. –"If you or any of those creatures want her, you'll have to kill us all first!"

"Very well, then… I'll get rid of you first, and then, I'll extract her Heart, personally! Heartless, kill them!"

Obeying their mistress' orders, the Heartless started to attack the Sailor Scouts. The number of creatures surrounding them grew with each second it passed. Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn cast their defensive attacks, the "Garnet Ball" and the "Silence Wall" in order to stop their advance. They all battled against those horrible creatures, while Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask tried to wake up Sailor Chibimoon, who was still unconscious.

Watching the battle that was taking place in front of her eyes, Maleficent saw that her Heartless were not causing them enough damage, so she decided to take the battle to the next level. She ordered them to fuse with the giant octopus-like Heartless, making this one bigger and stronger. The massive creature was now even bigger than before. Spikes appeared all over its body, giving it a more menacing look. Launching an attack, the new giant Heartless used all of its strength to break the force fields created by both Saturn and Pluto. The force fields withstood a couple of strikes from the monster's tentacles, but eventually, they shattered. The two Sailors tried to fight back, but having used most of their energy creating the force fields, had left them pretty weak. They were the first ones to be captured by the tentacles, and soon after, the other Sailor Scouts had also been captured by the horrible and gruesome creature. They all put up a little fight, but the adrenaline in their bodies had run its course, and they were now feeling tired and exhausted. And the worst part was that when the octopus-like Heartless grabbed them with its huge tentacles, they felt even worst, like if their vital energy was being sucked out right out of them. Even Luna and Artemis, who were doing their best to strike the monster, by slashing it with their claws, were caught by the tentacles. Sailor Neptune and Sailor Earth were the last ones standing between Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask and Chibimoon, and the gruesome monster. Seeing that if she did not do anything to help her friends they would all perish, Sailor Moon handed Chibimoon to Tuxedo Mask and joined her friends in battle. But when she was about to use her scepter to attack the monster, Neptune put herself in front of her and said:

"No, Sailor Moon… We'll handle this!"

"Yes, she's right! The Prince, you and Small Lady are much more important than us!" –Sailor Earth declared in a tone, which Sailor Moon recognized, whenever Naru told her something that was really important.

The two Sailor Scouts needed to get some maneuver space, so they cast their most powerful attacks on that Heartless.

"Submarine Violin Tide!" –Sailor Neptune exclaimed.

"Earth's Destroyer Rumble!" –Sailor Earth exclaimed.

Both attacks caused the Tower to shake like gelatin, and the floor beneath their feet to become all cracky. Still, none of them was powerful enough to hurt the beast in front of them. With yet another strike, the Heartless grabbed both Sailor Neptune and Sailor Earth. There was no one left to defend Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Chibimoon. Maleficent rejoiced as she saw what just happened; all of the Sailor Scouts had been captured and now she was free to do whatever she wanted with Chibimoon. She teleported herself to where the three of them were, and with a sinister grin in her face, she raised her hand to grab Chibimoon, when she something was pointed out at her face. It was Tuxedo Mask's cane. The cane itself was just a few millimeters from her face, but instead of being surprised or shocked with it, in her face, the sinister grin that she had, became even bigger, to the point that she burst out laughing at it.

"What do you think you are going to do with that?! Kill me?!" –she asked him, still laughing maniacally.

"If I have to, then, yes… I'll not allow you to touch a hair of Chibimoon or Sailor Moon…"

Before he could finish what he was saying, Maleficent used her scepter and cast some kind of force field around him, levitating him up in the air. She looked at him with an intriguing look in her eyes. There was something about him that fascinated her. Then, she felt it; it was his Heart. It was quite powerful and pure; not like Chibimoon's Heart, but it was still very powerful. Then, she also felt that Sailor Moon's Heart was as pure and powerful as Chibimoon's.

"I don't know how I didn't notice this before… The Hearts of the three of you are exceptionally pure and powerful. I thought that the little girl was the only one who had a Heart similar in purity to the Princesses of Heart, but I was wrong. Instead of just taking her Heart with me, I'll take the Hearts of you three." –She stated with her malevolent voice. –"It would be a shame to see such power not to be used."

Walking over to where Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibimoon were, she prepared herself to snatch their Hearts, when Sailor Moon, who was on her knees, grabbed her scepter and yelled:

"You let Tuxedo Mask go, and tell that monster to free my friends, you witch, or I'll…"

"Or you'll what?" –Maleficent scorned of her. –"Girl, I am the one who gives the orders around here, and you aren't in no position to give them to me." –She said, as she slapped Sailor Moon, making her fall on the ground. –"Be a good girl, and I'll take your Heart in last."

With her chest filled with nothing but pain and anger, Sailor Moon quickly stood up and grabbed Maleficent's dress, and pulled the wicked woman towards her.

"I told you to free my friends and to stay away from Chibimoon, witch!" –She yelled at her, this time with a very aggressive voice tone, demanding Maleficent to do what she told her to. This only made the wicked villainess to slap her once again, forcing the girl to let her go.

"You wretched girl! Don't tempt me… You don't know, or understand the true power of darkness, and believe me, when I say that you should thank me for dying without knowing it!"

"You don't know what I and the rest of my friends have faced during our battle against the forces of evil, so don't tell me what I understand or don't understand!" –Sailor Moon replied to her – "I will not allow you to win!"

Fed up of hearing her out, Maleficent decided that it was time to silence her, permanently. Lifting up her scepter, the crystal in it started to glow. She was going to strike her with it. Sailor Moon was able to evade the first blow, by dodging out of the way. Unfortunately, she was not so lucky, when trying to evade the second blow. She knew that when Maleficent's scepter hit her, she would probably be blown into smithereens. The only thing she remembered to do was using her own scepter, in an attempt to block the blow. She waited for the inevitable that was about to happen in a matter of seconds… seconds what looked to her like an eternity. Finally, when both scepters clashed, a light appeared and Sailor Moon's scepter turned itself into what looked like a key-shaped weapon. Its handle was golden, and you could see a small keychain on it. As for the key itself, it was silver, nothing special about it. But all in all, it looked amazingly beautiful.

"A Keyblade?!" –Maleficent yelled, shocked with what she had just saw. –"But that's impossible! After all my hard work to get rid of those pests, and still, that cursed object find a way to oppose me?!"

Still not knowing what was really going on, Sailor Moon felt that with that strange weapon, she could do anything. Strangely enough, she felt her strength coming back. It was like if her body had been immersed in pure energy. She swung the Keyblade left and right, and that just felt natural to her. Not exactly knowing what to do, she let her body move based on instinct. She pointed her new weapon at the evil woman's face, and this time, you could see that she had fear written on it.

"I won't ask you again! Let my friends go, as well as Tuxedo Mask, and go back to where you came from!" –Sailor Moon demanded.

"I think I have a better idea… Heartless, destroy her." –Maleficent ordered the giant Heartless, as she teleported to a safe distance. –"I'll enjoy watching this." –she thought.

The giant Heartless obeyed Maleficent's order, and started to swing his tentacles around, trying to pound Sailor Moon. The vibrations caused by this, made the tower shake even more than before… Sailor Moon, who tried to avoid being squashed like a pancake, started to jump around. Curiously enough, at first, she did not notice that she was leaping higher and longer than humanly possible. Even her Sailor powers did not grant her any kind of physical ability, such as that one. But she did not care. She was too busy trying to stay alive to care about it. Moving as fast as she could, the girl avoided every single strike by the giant Heartless, until, the floor beneath them finally collapsed. As they fell into the ground, chinks of concrete from what used to be the ground of the Main Observatory; were used by Sailor Moon to decrease her fall. Sailor Chibimoon and Tuxedo Mask, who were also falling, were captured by the Sailor Moon in mid-air. Holding them as hard as she could, she used the chunks of concrete as support points; she leapt from chunk to chunk as fast as she could, and in a matter of seconds, avoided a very nasty fall. The spheres where the people that had been trapped earlier also fell, but when they reached the ground, they just bounced a little. It looked like those spheres acted as some kind of protection to those encased in them. Finally, when the three of them reached the ground, the giant Heartless was already smashing more things as it moved towards one of the tower's feet. The smaller Heartless who were covering the rest of the tower, were now quickly descending it, running towards them. After being sure that both Chibimoon and Tuxedo Mask were safe, she ran towards the Heartless, holding the Keyblade with both her hands. As she got near them, one of the smaller Heartless tried to jump on her. Swinging the Keyblade, she hit it, and as soon as the Keyblade touched it, the Heartless blew up... Whatever that Keyblade was, it had the power not only to repel those creatures, but also to destroy them, permanently.

"Hang on, everyone! I'm taking you out of there… And then, then I'm going to get of all these creatures, with your help." –She said, as she ran towards the giant Heartless, wielding the Keyblade.

As she got nearer and nearer the giant creature, the other Heartless jumped on her, trying to block her path. But she did not mind, because inside her it was like something was burning as hot as the Sun, telling her to keep going, eliminating everything that got in her way. Each Heartless that put itself in her way was destroyed by the Keyblade's power. The creatures' eyes looked even more menacing than before to Sailor Moon, as they tried to shred her into pieces, but that did not stop the warrior of justice. Finally, she got close enough to the creature that was holding hostage in its tentacles, the rest of the Sailor Scouts. She used the Keyblade to strike it, and each time the Keyblade hit it, a howl was heard from the creature. Sailor Moon knew she was hurting the Heartless, so she kept hitting it successfully, over and over. After a few powerful blows to it, the creature let go one of the Sailor Scouts, who fell on the ground… It was Sailor Jupiter. She was amazingly pale, even paler than Chibimoon was when Sailor Earth broke the chains that were holding her. Seeing her friend like that, so fragile, so weak, just made the blonde girl even angrier than she was. She attacked the monster, giving everything she had in her, each time she swung the Keyblade. The smaller Heartlesses kept on crawling towards her, trying to hurt her, but she just gave them the same treatment she had given the others before them. One by one all of the Sailor Scouts were let go by the horrible creature, falling on the ground in the same state as Sailor Jupiter was. Powered by the adrenaline flow, she concentrated her energies on one last attack, which could be described as a single ray of light, which came out of the Keyblade and hit the giant-Heartless, making it roar in pain, before it dissipated itself into nothingness. The other Heartlesses also blew up, to her surprise. As this went on, the same ray of light kept on getting brighter, until the point that Sailor Moon had to let go the Keyblade and cover her eyes, to protect them from the intense light. As let go the Keyblade, she felt her strength fading away, and her body feeling wobbly and tired. The last thing she saw before passing out was her friends being engulfed by a strange light, which also engulfed her, and everything that was near.


	6. The Awakening

Chapter 6: The Awakening

Sailor Moon felt like if her body had been dried of all of its energy. After being shrouded by the light, the girl only felt a warm feeling, taking over her being, like if she had died and her spirit had left her body. But if she was dead, how come she felt like she was still alive. She was so tired from the battle with the so-called Heartless that had been sent by the wretched woman named Maleficent, that she did not even had strength to open her eyes. She eventually fell asleep or at least that was what she thought had happened. But before that happened, she heard a voice in her head whispering something to her:

"Kingdom Hearts. The worlds have given us this doorway. They want us to be the guardians of their destiny."

For what looked like an eternity, Sailor Moon slept. Slowly, but steady, her body regained its energies back, growing stronger. She felt the floor underneath her was cold, almost icy, but strangely enough, it felt comfortable to her. That was the moment where she realized that she was not dead. She stayed there, without moving for quite some time. Inside her soul, she just wished to stay there forever, without being disturbed by anyone or anything. But she knew that that was not possible, because she needed to know what had happened to her friends, and more importantly, to Mamoru and Chibiusa. Finally, when she gathered enough strength, she opened her eyes and slowly turned her head around, looking at the place where she was... empty darkness and nothing more. Strangely enough was that although the place where she was surrounded by darkness, she could see as clearly as if it was daylight. Then, she looked down at the floor and was amazed with what she saw. The floor was actually a giant stained-glass window. It had a circular shape. She walked over to the edge, and saw that the place itself was a stained-glass pillar. The floor depicted the images of six characters, being three of them human, two boys and a girl, and the other three resembling anthropomorphic animals. All of them had their eyes closed, with the exception of the girl, and of one of the anthropomorphic animals, which looked to her like a mouse. All of them were over a navy-blue background. They were coloured with all kinds of colours. The boy with the golden-brown hair was in the middle of the stained-glass floor, and was much bigger than the other characters, which were inside smaller circles, surrounding a larger circle, where the boy was inserted in. He was holding a weapon similar, if not identical to the one she had used to destroy the Heartless in Tokyo Tower… a Keyblade. That's when she remembered that a huge bright light had engulfed her and the others who were near her.

"Where am I?" –She asked, looking around, trying to see if there was anyone else there. When she saw that there was no one in sight, she started to have second doubts about whether she was alive or dead. Could that be purgatory, or some kind of realm between Heaven and Hell? That was just one of the many questions that Sailor Moon had in her mind in that moment. –"Could this be a dream, or am I awaken? This is so strange…" –She stated, as she noticed that she was not wearing her Sailor Scout outfit anymore, but instead, she was wearing her regular clothes.

"Hello!!! Can anyone hear me?!" –She yelled, waiting for an answer which never came.

Not seeing any other alternative, Usagi looked for a way out of there. At first, she did not see it, but close to her was a staircase. This one was made out of crystal, and it loosed quite fragile, so the girl stepped in really carefully, to make sure that it was safe for her to walk on.

"If this thing would shatter, I bet Rei would tell me that the reason why that happened was because I am too fat…" –She giggled to herself, wondering where the others would be. –"Maybe if I follow these stairs, they will take me to where they are." –She thought as she walked through the staircase.

Usagi kept on climbing the staircase, without seeing the end of it. She wondered where she would end up. At first, she tried to count the number of steps, but she ended up losing the number after awhile. But one thing was for sure, that staircase looked endless. She went on, until finally she arrived at what looked like the same place from where she had departed. But then, she noticed that although the drawings on the floor were the same, the background was golden, and the Keyblade that the boy was holding was different from the previous one. She looked around, looking for something or someone, but she could not find anything. That's when she saw what looked like a shadow, moving on the ground, like if it had a life of its own. The shadow turned itself into a Heartless, which appeared in front of her. It looked like that even there those creatures would not let her go. Looking at it, her first thought was to transform herself, in hopes to defeat it. She reached for her brooch and yelled:

"Moon Eternal Power Make-Up!"

But nothing happened. She tried it once again, but still, the transformation did not happen. It was obvious to her on that point that the Silver Crystal did not work in that place. She started to move backwards, without knowing what to do. She first thought that she could try yelling for help, but who would listen to her? As far as she knew, she was all alone in that strange place. Then, she felt that she was trapped, when her left foot fell that she had reached the edge of the pillar. The menacing Heartless kept advancing towards her, and Usagi was running out of options. Either she tried to fight that thing, not knowing how to get rid of it or destroy it, or she could just wait for the inevitable death at the hands of the creature. It was right there, on that moment that she made up her mind. She took a deep breath and launched herself towards the horrible creature, with a fierce look on her eyes.

"If I die, then at least I won't die without fighting back, you monster!" –She thought to herself, as she threw herself in front of the Heartless.

Then, as a rather shocking development, something appeared in her right hand… the Keyblade. Seeing it in her hands once again, Usagi knew that now she had the power to get rid of the creature. Swigging it, she hit the creature with it, causing it to disappear, just like it had happened before. This time, she was surprised not by the fact that she was able to get rid of the creature, but by the fact that she made the Keyblade appear again, or at least that's what she thought. Another staircase appeared out of nowhere and she decided to climb it. This time though, her spirit kept telling her that she had to climb it, and she was determined to do it so. As she climbed it, more Heartless appeared, but she was not afraid of them, not anymore. Using the Keyblade, she made sure that none of them got near her. The way to the top seemed to her shorter than the previous one, though she did not know if it was the fact of her feeling somehow agiler than before, or if the staircase was shorter. Either way, when she finally reached the top, she did not feel tired at all. Once again she noticed the drawings on the floor, but this time she was surprised by what was laying over a navy-blue background. In the centre of it, there was her, inside the biggest of all the circles, dressed in her Sailor Moon uniform waving her staff in her right hand, and around her, there were other circles, and in each one of them there was one of her fellow Sailor Scouts. Even Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer and Sailor Saturn Net Surfer were depicted in there, as well as Tuxedo Mask. She looked at it and felt like if she was being watched by someone, or something. Who had been the person or persons who did those drawings, and how did they know about all of them, when even she did not know about the existence of FX Destroyer and Net Surfer, not to mention the fact of her old friend Naru Osaka being Sailor Earth? Then, once again she heard that strange voice again, but this time it was not just inside her head. This time, the voice was filling the dark void in which she was.

"Kingdom Hearts. The worlds have given us this doorway. They want us to be the guardians of their destiny."

"Who is there?! What do you want from me?!" –Usagi yelled at the mysterious voice, and waited for an answer. But the only thing she heard was the same sentence, said out loud by the same mysterious voice.

"Kingdom Hearts. The worlds have given us this doorway. They want us to be the guardians of their destiny."

Those words did not make any sense at all, at least not to the blonde girl, who was getting more confused by the minute.

"What does that mean?! What do you want from me and where are Mamoru and the rest of my friends?!" –She yelled in frustration.

There was silence. Not a word could be heard. Usagi kneeled down, and began to cry. She did not know exactly why she was crying about. Was it because she was alone, or because she did not understand why she was there, or maybe, just maybe, because she was all alone by herself? Tears ran down her cheeks. Tears of sadness, but also, tears of solitude and of despair. Then, all of a sudden she heard another voice.

"So much to do, so little time…" –another mysterious voice said –"Take your time. Don't be afraid. The door is still shut."

And with that, a door appeared out of nowhere, not far from where Usagi was. She wiped the tears out of her eyes with her fingers, and she saw how the door looked like. It was a little taller than her, and it was made of what it looked like wood, pink wood, with heart-shaped details magnificently carved in it. Slowly, she got nearer and nearer, and touched it. Her touch made the door open and she looked inside, to see what was on the other side. What she saw was a bright light, which made her blind for a couple of seconds. Although not sure of what she was about to do, she slowly headed into the light, not knowing what was on the other side. A warm sensation was felt by her, as she went through the light. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she looked around and saw that she had ended up in a similar place as she was before. The floor beneath her had the same drawings in it, but the background was diamond-white, instead of being navy-blue.

She heard the same voice as before, saying something which she did not understand at first. She closed her eyes once again, and focused on what the voice was saying.

"The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes." –it said with a firm tone.

This made Usagi look over her shoulder, seeing her shadow getting longer and longer. Then, without any sort of warning or whatsoever, her shadow started to rise from the floor. It possessed the same shape and form as Usagi herself, but it looked more like a Heartless, each second it passed. Then, it started to grow, until it was the size of a 7 floor-tall building. Its shape had also changed, not resembling with its original form. It now looked like a gruesome dark giant, with tentacles springing from its arms and legs. No doubt it was a Heartless, a giant Heartless, which was about to crush Usagi with its powerful arms. Looking at it, made the girl shiver with a strange kind of fear. A kind fear which she had never felt before in her life.

"But don't be afraid. And don't forget…" –the voice continued with the same tone.–"You hold the mightiest weapon of all. So don't forget: You are the one who will open the door."

The last words pronounced by the mysterious voice gave Usagi strength, but above all, they gave her courage to face the creature that was standing in front of her. Inside her, her heart told her that if she wanted to get out of there, wherever there really was, she had to stand up and face the creature that a few moments prior to that, had been her own shadow. Holding the Keyblade in her hands, she charged at the creature. Swinging, she made sure that each time she hit that thing, she felt it. Unfortunately, the giant Heartless was not going to let her hit it with all she had, without attacking her. Using its huge arms, it tried to grab her, but the girl was able to evade that by jumping into the air, and somersaulting over the creature's fist. This went on for a couple of more rounds, until finally Usagi was caught. Trapped in its fist, she started to feel like darkness was sucking her to someplace where light did not have place to exist.

"Now I know how the girl felt on King Kong feels when she's caught by the gorilla…" –she stated sarcastically to herself, as she tried to find a way to free herself from that tight situation.

Using all of her strength, Usagi managed to use the Keyblade and strike the creature on the palm of the hand, which forced it to release her. Somersaulting her way into the ground, she thought for a brief second that she was out of danger for the time being. What she did not expect was the fact that in the ground was something ready to snatch her. The ground was covered with a black liquid, much like the same kind of material that the Heartless seemed to be made of. A long arm emerged from the pond of black liquid, and grabbed her, wrapping itself around the chest, and started to pull her into the black liquid. The arm looked like if it belonged to a corpse or even a skeleton. Its touch was as cold as ice. Usagi tried her best to free herself from it, but when she managed to shake off that arm, another one emerged and wrapped itself around her, followed by another one, and then another one. In a couple of seconds, a dozen or more arms were pulling her into the ground, as she slowly sank into the black liquid. She fought back, but it was useless. She felt like if oxygen in her lungs was being sucked out of them… She felt like she was drowning. There were only two things she could; either she would let herself be absorbed or killed by that black liquid, or she could try fighting it, using more than just the Keyblade. A quick decision was made by her… She would try to combine the power of the Silver Crystal with the power of the Keyblade. She did not know if it would work, because the crystal had not displayed any kind of power, when she tried to transform herself, but what other choice she had? She used what was left of her strengths and tried to get to the surface.

"Don't give up! Don't give up! If you are to see Mamoru, and Chibiusa and the others, again, you have to struggle and not give up! Come on, just a little bit more!" –she told herself, as she struggled to get to the surface.

After what looked like hours, Usagi managed to get to the surface. She was covered in that black liquid, which was trying to pull her back into it. Her eyesight was somehow blurry, but she could see that the giant Heartless was still there, looking at her. Her arms were wrapped up by the viscous black liquid, so she had to use all of her strength to free herself from that tight situation. Managing to free her arms from that stuff, she reached them for the sky and it was revealed that in her left hand, she was holding her brooch. Opening it, it revealed the Silver Crystal. She united it with the Keyblade, which rested in her right hand and said:

"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!"

Even though she had not been able to transform herself into Sailor Moon, Usagi figured that she could use the power of the Silver Crystal, channelling it through the Keyblade. An idea which proved to be right… the Keyblade channelled the attack of the Silver Crystal, firing it against the giant Heartless. It was a direct hit. The girl could hear the creature howl in pain, as the attack pierced its chest, making it explode. The explosion caused a shock wave that was so great, that all darkness surrounding Usagi was blown away like if it was nothing more than a layer of dust. It was also so great and powerful that the girl passed out. What happened next was a complete mystery for Usagi, because this time she woke up in a different place from where she was before. She felt something soft beneath in whole body. She slowly opened her eyes, to find she was lying in the grass, in what looked like a very peculiar garden. It had a couple of trees, all of them surrounded by small bushes. She slowly got herself up, which proved to be more difficult than she thought at first. Her legs felt wobbly, and the rest of her body was shaking like if she was cold. She looked around and there was no one around. The sky looked funny, because it looked like an Aurora Borealis, where you cold see colours like baby-blue, navy-blue and green, fusing into a beautiful light show. Then, she looked to her right and saw a very peculiar building. It had a surrealistic and crooked look, and it was golden-brown. Smaller towers were attached to it, and the windows were star-shaped. The towers were topped with greenish cone-shaped turret roofs, being the roof of the main tower which was blue, with white stars stamped on it. Usagi wondered if anyone lived inside. When she reached the entrance, a red door appeared. She knocked on the door, but no one answered, yet she could hear voices in the inside.

"Hello! Is anyone home?!" –she asked, as she knocked on the door, this time harder than before. Still, no one answered.

She pushed the door, forcing it to open, when she was surprised to see that it was unlocked. She looked inside, and the first thing she sees is Luna and Artemis, who were walking around in circles, as if they were worried about something.

"Usagi!" –Both Luna and Artemis exclaimed, as she walked in the tower.

"Luna! Artemis! You're alright!" –she exclaimed, as the two cats jumped on her, happy to see that she was alright. For a couple of seconds, Usagi forgot about everything that had happened, and did not care with what was really going on, because now she knew that she was not alone in that strange place.


	7. Discoveries

Chapter 7: Discoveries

Usagi was so happy to the two cats, that a couple of tears dropped from her eyes… tears of happiness. But Luna and Artemis were also quite happy to see her. As she kneeled down, caressing both their heads, the cats smiled at her, making her also smile.

"Oh, you two don't have the slightest idea of how happy I am, for seeing both of you here." –she said, as she gave each one a kiss in the forehead. –"But, where are the others? Where are Mamoru and Chibiusa? What happened to you after I defeated that monster?"

Usagi kept bombarding both cats with questions, without even giving them a chance to answer them. Finally, when Usagi calmed down a little, Luna put her paw on top of the girl's right hand and said with her usual gentle and calm voice:

"Usagi… I'm afraid that we don't know exactly what happened to us. But we'll tell you what we know." –Luna said. –"When we got caught by the tentacles of that horrible and strange creature, and were encased into what I think were capsules of pure darkness, none of us have any memories of what happened after."

"What do you mean by "we", Luna? Who's here besides you?" –Usagi asked the cat.

"Please, let me finish, Usagi… After that, we woke up in this atrium, the girls, the boys and ourselves… But, Chibiusa and Mamoru, they were not with us, when we woke up."

"You mean that Chibiusa and Mamoru are gone?! They are not with you?!" –she asked, as panic stroke her heart. You could almost say that her voice gave the impression that an arrow had pierced her heart, filling it with despair. –"What about the Rei and Ami, and the rest of the group, where are they?!"

"When they saw that neither Chibiusa, or Mamoru or you were with us, they decided to explore this place, to see if they could find you." –Artemis explained –"They went up those stairs, and they never came back. We were just behind them, when they reached a wall. Ami, who was leading the group, touched the wall and then a light engulfed them, and they disappeared right in front of us."

"We called them for almost an hour, but none of them answered, and then you appeared, when we were trying to come up with another way to get to them, wherever they are." –Luna said.

"So, you say that they disappeared up there, and you haven't heard from them for almost an hour?" –Sailor Moon said, to which both cats asserted with their heads. –"Then, let's see if we can find out where they went."

As she got up, she took a look at the place where they were. Usagi was so happy in seeing her feline friends that she did not even care about where she was. Looking at the place, she was marvelled with the beauty of place. She was standing in the middle of a magnificent round entrance, but its decoration was rather simple, but that's what made it so magnificent. It was surrounded by an upward-spiraling staircase, which lead up. It was golden and it sparkled every once in awhile, giving it a feeling that it was magical. The girl went up, followed by the two cats. As she went up the stairs, inside her heart, she could feel the presence of her friends. Suddenly, they reached a dead end. In front of them was a wall. There was nothing weird or different about it, at least physically. Intrigued, Usagi decided to touch the wall, and see if anything happened. Raising her left hand, this one trembled as it got closer to the wall. Then, when fingers touched the wall, this one glowed for a brief second, and then the glow disappeared right after, revealing a door which was not there before. It was a door such as any other, but it had a golden crescent moon carved in it. Now, this golden crescent moon had a very peculiar detail… it had a key hole in it. The girl seeing this, instantly recalled what she had heard before in that strange place, where she had been before ending up in that tower: "You are the one who will open the door.".

Raising her right hand, she instantly made appear the Keyblade, which surprised both Luna and Artemis, who were not expecting that to happen. As for Usagi, she was already getting used to that, so it did not surprise her. She swung the Keyblade, and pointed it right into the keyhole. A beam of light was shot from the Keyblade, which hit the door. A noise was heard… a noise which was similar to a door unlocking. Both cats looked at each other, not realizing what just had happened. Luna then asked:

"Usagi, what is that, and just happened?"

"This is the Keyblade, or at least that's what I think they call it, and I think I just found a way to get to where the others are." –the girl answered a little unease, because not even her knew if what she was telling was really the truth or not. Before the cat could ask anything else, she said: -"Don't ask me how I know this… it's complicated. I just know it, and for now, that's good enough for me."

The black cat nodded with her head. Still holding the mysterious Keyblade in her hand, Usagi walked forward and pulled the door, opening it. The door creaked when she opened it, which gave both her, Luna and Artemis the chills. When they opened it, they saw they had entered in a circular room. And to their surprise, there they were, the Sailor Scouts. Usagi noticed that they were wearing their civilian clothes, which meant that they had de-transformed. When they saw who had opened the door, they rejoiced. Ami, Rei, Makoto and Minako quickly ran towards the blonde girl, giving her a big group hug, while giggling. Naru also joined the group hug, being quite happy to know that her friend was safe and sound. As for Haruka, Michiru Setsuna, Hotaru, Johnny and George, upon seeing her, they all smiled to her. Although it did not look like much, Usagi knew that that was their way to say that they were extremely happy to see her too… After all, at least Haruka and Michiru, as well as Setsuna and Hotaru had always been known for not showing their true feelings in a rather spontaneous way, like the rest of the girls.

"It's so good to see that you're alright!" –Minako exclaimed, as she once again hugged Usagi.

"I'm also happy to see that you are alright too…" –Usagi stated in her old fashioned cheerful voice.

"But, tell us… where did you go, and is Mamoru or Chibiusa with you?" –Ami asked her.

She quickly told them what she had been through and also showed them the Keyblade, telling them that it was thanks to that strange weapon that she had been able to apparently save them from the giant Heartless creature that attacked them.

"So, you're saying that that sort of key thing helped you saving us from that thing, an that it led you here?" –Rei asked, intrigued with all that.

"Yes… or at least, I think so." –Usagi answered her, as se showed them the Keyblade.

"But what is it, really? Is it a weapon, is it a key… or is it both?" –Naru asked her.

"I don't know, but I think it might be both things, combined into one." –Usagi answered. –"I don't even know how I make it appear and disappear." –she said, as she accidently dropped it.

When she was about to knee herself to grab it, the Keyblade flew back to her hand, like if it had been attracted to her like a magnet. All of them were quite surprised with that. Johnny decided to tae a closer look. Pressing a button on his watch, what looked like a miniaturized scanner scanned the Keyblade in just a blink of an eye. A few seconds later, his eyes could not believe what the report said.

"Unknown material? How is that even possible?" –he asked out loud, not believing in his on eyes.

"What do you mean by "unknown material"?" –Makoto asked him.

"What I mean is that this thing is made of some kind of material that does not resemble any kind of material that can actually exist." –he explained her, not knowing if what he was saying made any kind of sense.

But before anyone could ask him anything, the door behind them was sealed shut, and Johnny's watch started to beep once again, just like it happened at the Hikawa Shrine. That could only mean one thing: trouble. In a couple of seconds, Heartlesses appeared out of nowhere, surrounding the group. Not seeing any other option, the whole group, with the exception of Usagi, decided to transform, only to find out something unexpected.

"Mercury Crystal Power Make-Up!" –Ami exclaimed.

"Mars Crystal Power Make-Up!" –Rei exclaimed.

"Jupiter Crystal Power Make-Up!" –Makoto exclaimed.

"Venus Crystal Power Make-Up!" –Minako exclaimed.

"Uranus Crystal Power Make-Up!" –Haruka exclaimed.

"Neptune Crystal Power Make-Up!" –Michiru exclaimed.

"Pluto Crystal Power Make-Up!" –Setsuna exclaimed.

"Saturn Crystal Power Make-Up!" –Hotaru exclaimed.

"Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer, Fighting Mode, Activation!" –Johnny exclaimed.

"Sailor Saturn Net Surfer, Fighting Mode, Activation!" –George exclaimed.

To everyone's surprise, none of them transformed. Only Usagi was not surprised by that fact.

"Our transformations do not work in this place. Believe me, I know that because I tried to transform before, and my brooch didn't work." –the girl explained them. –"The only way to get rid of these things is to use the Keyblade.

She then proceeded to demonstrate the others what she was talking about. Swinging the Keyblade, she quickly took out the first wave of Heartlesses that jumped on her and the others. Then, when she thought that she had got ridden of all of them, a new kind of Heartless appeared. This one was similar to the ones that had first appeared, but they were taller and their limbs, as well as their claws were longer. They also were faster and agiler. One of them tried to attack Hotaru, but Usagi managed to repel it by shooting what looked like a energy dagger from the Keyblade, which hit the creature, making dissipate right in front of her eyes. Being a little scared of the amount of Heartlesses that appeared every time one of them was taken down, Hotaru held on to Setsuna, closing her eyes, just like small children do when they are afraid of things, waiting for someone to make it disappear or tell it to go away. Setsuna was also a little nervous with what was going on, but she tried to remain calm, so Hotaru did not get even more scared than she already was.

Johnny and George formed pairs with Makoto and Haruka respectively, and tried to attract the attention of the creatures to themselves, thus protecting the rest of the group. Even Luna and Artemis hissed at the creatures trying to scare them away. But the rest of the group quickly gathered enough courage to help the others. Punching and kicking them, did nothing to those creatures, because no matter how hard they attacked them, they just kept coming forward. Knowing that her friends were in danger, and that she would take too long to take care of all of them by ust using the Keyblade, Usagi decided to use once again the combined power of the Silver Moon Crystal and the Keyblade. Grabbing her brooch with her left hand, she wielded it in the air and then cried out:

"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!"

With that, rays of light spanned from the Keyblade, striking all of the Heartlesses, making them disappear in front of their eyes. They were all amazed by the kind of raw, but subtle power that had been released by Usagi's Keyblade. When the last of the horrible creatures was destroyed a wave of light swept the whole room, thus revealing yet another surprise, a new door.

Michiru who was the one closest to the door that appeared right out of nowhere, went to examine it. It was similar to the one that they had used to enter in that same room, but instead of a crescent moon, a star was carved in it. She touched it, and the door slowly creaked, revealing what was on the other side. In front of her, there was another staircase, similar to the other which had lead them there, but this one was emerald-green, made of some kind of rock that reflected the supernatural and strange glow aura of that place. The others went to where she was, and were somehow amazed by the beauty of the place. If the other areas in which they had been were gorgeous, this one was certainly the most dazzling of them all. When the last one of them exited the room, the door closed behind them, disappearing right after. In its place, a wall of the same colour as the staircase appeared.

"This place is getting stranger and stranger by the minute." –Makoto stated as she looked to where the door had been a couple of seconds earlier.

"Not only that. It's getting scarier too!" –Minako pointed out. –"How are we supposed to get out of here now, folks?"

"Well, it's obvious that we can't go back, so we have no other choice but to keep moving forward, and hope that on top of this staircase there is a door which will lead us outside." –Johnny said.

"And what if there isn't a way out? What will we do then?" –Artemis asked.

"There's only one way to find out that. Let's keep moving forward." –Rei insisted, as she started climbing the staircase.

The others soon followed her. Like her, they did not want to stay in that strange place more than they needed to. As the group went up, Usagi and Naru decided to fall back a bit from the rest of the group. They wanted to catch up, because it had been more than year since they had last seen each other, and so much had happened to them. But furthermore, Usagi wanted to know the reason why she did not awake as a Sailor Scout when the others did. Still, this was a conversation that seemed strange to Usagi, because she had a million questions in her mind, but she did not know where to begin with.

"So… Are you still dating Umino?" –Usagi asked her, not really sure how to start that conversation.

"Yeah, I'm still dating him… he's a nice guy, you know? He may be a little annoying sometimes, but he's sweet and caring, and that's what I love about him." –Naru answered her with a sincere voice.

"That's go to know..."

"But that isn't the reason why you're talking with me, is it?" –Naru asked her. –"There's something else you want to talk about, right?"

"Well… yes, there is. I… I wanted to ask you about…"

"About me being Sailor Earth, right, Usagi?" –Naru asked, already knowing the answer to that question.

The others all heard that, so they slowed their pace, so they could also hear the conversation. Just like Usagi, they all had doubts and questions about their new ally, and they wanted to know the whole thing. Although Usagi did not notice what the rest of the group did, Naru did, but she did not mind, because she new it was only normal they wanting to know the truth. When she saw that they all of them were in her voice range, she said:

"It's only natural you wanting to know why I was only awaken now." –Naru stated. –"Please, give me your hand, so you might see what happen… don't worry, the rest of you will also see it, through the telepathic link that we all share with Usagi."

This last statement surprised the whole group, who were quite embarrassed with that situation, not expecting Naru to have noticed their previous action. Then, she held hands with Usagi, and the world around them went dark, like if they had been teleported to a place where darkness reigned. Looking around, Usagi only saw herself in the middle of that eternal darkness. At first, the blonde girl felt really scared about that, but then she heard Naru's voice, even though she could not see her.

"Do not worry, you cannot be harmed by my memories… you're perfectly safe. This is like a flashback of what really happened to me."

Darkness began to fade away, and what looked like a palace slowly appeared. At first, it felt like the majestic building was part of a blurry dream sequence, but little by little, the building gain a more distinct form, and it looked real. She saw herself outside, in a gorgeous garden. Not far from her, she saw two persons fighting. At first, she did not recognize any of them, but then she looked closely and recognized one of the persons. It was Tuxedo Mask, but he was wearing a different outfit than the one he usually wore. The suit was very much alike the one he wore in the 30th century. That's when Usagi assumed that that was really him, but in the 30th century. The other person was somehow harder to recognize, maybe because she would not stop somersaulting, giving the girl a good glimpse of who she really was. Still, she saw that she was wearing a Sailor outfit. Then, she finally got a good look on her face and saw who she was… it was Naru, or better yet, Sailor Earth.

"What you're seeing is me and Prince Endimion training." –Naru's voice said. –"I was responsible for the protection and well being of Prince Endimion."~

Suddenly, everything went black again, and the place where they were changed. This time, they were inside a beautiful white-marbled room with black stone columns. There were statues around a sumptuous shrine in the middle of the room. And there, right next to the shrine were two people that Usagi did not recognize, a man and a woman, and the woman was holding a baby in her hands, gently wrapped in a white blanket. Then, a double-door behind the blonde girl opened, and someone entered in the room. It was a young girl, dressed in a golden dress. She had brown waved hair tied up in a ponytail with an emerald-green ribbon, which matched her eyes. She slowly walked to the shrine, and bowed in the presence of the two figures. She then raised her head, as the man gently grabbed her left hand and said:

"Are you sure you want this?" –the man asked the little girl.

"Yes, Your Majesty… My only desire is to serve you and the Royal Family." –she said with a cheerful, yet serious voice.

"It is also your family, my dear." –the woman said.

"And that's why I must do it." –the little girl answered, this time with a serene voice, to which the couple agreed.

"If that's what you really want, my dear, then so be it." –the woman said. –"Before we begin, let me just tell you that I would not choose anyone else to carry out this task that you're being given, because I feel that there's something more about you than most people notice.

The words pronounced by the woman were spoken with such tenderness that a small tear fell from the little girl's eyes. What happened next was completely surreal. Some kind of ritual was performed by using a strange object, which looked like a sceptre, but it was much smaller. With it, the couple touched the baby's forehead and something appeared, as the light in the room slowly began to disappear. She recognized that object, which slowly rise up in the air. An object so familiar to Usagi, that its golden glow sent chills up her spine… the Golden Star Seed, Mamoru's Star Seed.

"As you can see, the baby is actually Prince Endimion, while the little girl is me. I was adopted by the Royal Family, and they gave me the position of guardian and tutor of the Prince, even though I was only a couple of years older than he was. I held that position and responsibility over the years." –Naru explained, as the ritual took place. –"But to do that, I would need to carry a piece of the Prince's true heart; the Golden Star Seed. That's why this ritual was performed… The King and the Queen with the help of a magic object were able to break a tiny piece of the Star Seed, and from it, create another Star Seed, which they gave me. That same Star Seed gave me the power to transform into Sailor Earth and also to protect the Prince from anyone or anything that could hurt him."

As her words filled in the room, Usagi's eyes focused on the ritual. On how a piece no bigger than a pin head was taken from the Golden Star Seed, and as it fell towards the shrine, a new Star Seed was created. This one had the same size and glow as the original one, but its colour was emerald-green. The King gently grabbed it and placed it in the hands of young Naru, who then lift it up and allowed it to be absorbed into her chest. An energy outburst originated from the girl, which demonstrated that the Star Seed was now part of herself, part of her body, but more importantly, part of her heart and soul.

All of a sudden, everything around her started to dissolve, like when a paint brush is dipped in water, and Usagi felt like she was being pulled off a dream. She opened her eyes, and saw that she was still in the staircase, alongside Naru and the rest of the group, who had seen Naru's memories just like Usagi. They all felt somehow dizzy, like if they had been inside a whirlwind. Naru was the one that looked worst, because she was quite pale. Ami grabbed her by the waist before she fell on her knees. She closed her eyes for a second and then opened them, sighing.

"Sorry, but I guess the rest of the story will have to wait, everyone." –Naru declared, as she gathered strength to stand up on her feet.

"Are you alright?" –Hotaru asked her, worried about her being so pallid and so fragile.

"I'll be alright, Hotaru… It's just that showing these memories to all of you drains a lot of my energy."

"You could have just told us what really happened, without the need to use your powers, you know?" –George stated, to which the others all agreed, by nodding their heads.

"No… You all had to see for yourselves, with your own eyes what really happened. But I guess the rest of the story will have to wait."

"Don't worry, we'll wait for you to sow us chapter 2, when you feel like you're strong enough." –Minako declared, giggling about it.

This made Naru also giggle, making her feel a little better already. The others also giggled about it. It was not the first, and it would probably not be the last time Minako would make them giggle or laugh about one of her commentaries. After that moment, Usagi and Ami made sure that Naru was strong enough to keep up with them, before resuming their climb. To show them that she was feeling much better, she gently picked up Luna and Artemis, ad decided to carry them with her while climbing. She had always been very fond of cats, and found that that would be a way for her to also help the felines climbing that huge staircase. Haruka and Michiru kept on leading the way. Their footsteps echoed, a noise which was not bad, but it was rather uncomfortable, because it felt like they were not the only ones there and they were probably right about that.

"Are you guys starting to think that this staircase goes on forever?" –Makoto asked them, not knowing what the others were going to say about it.

"I don't think so… We're bound to find the end of them sooner or later." –Setsuna said.

"I agree with you. There is no way these stairs can go on forever." –Rei agreed.

"Actually, they might go on forever." –Ami said with a voice which looked more like a whisper.

"What are you talking about, Ami?" –Usagi asked her. –"These stairs have to lead somewhere. This is not the Twilight Dimension… I think."

"No. I'm afraid se might be right about it… It's clear that the laws of physics do not apply here. And if they don't, then according to my calculations, I'm afraid that these stairs might go on forever and ever." –Johnny said.

"Or not, look! –Haruka exclaimed, as she pointed to something.

Up above them there was another door. None of them knew how that door appeared, because it was not the re before, but they did not care about that fact. As they looked to the door, they saw that this one was different from the previous ones that they had found. This one was a tall wooden double door, somehow similar to the one that gave entrance to the tower, but different. The handles were shaped like Stars, and had a small Crescent Moon carved in them. They quickly climbed the rest of the stairs that separated them from the door, and once in front of it, they knock on it and waited for an answer. Seconds passed, but no one answered, so they knocked once again. Still, no one answered.

"Maybe we should just push it, and see if we can open it." –Michiru suggested.

"Okay. When I count to three, we all push the door, alright?" –Johnny declared, to which the others promptly agreed. –"Alright, we're we go… one, two, three!"

They all pushed the door at the same time. Slowly and steady the door creaked and opened. When they finally got it open, they all looked inside and saw that the room they were entering was the largest room that they had seen, since entered in the building. The round walls had several shelves containing many books, all of them regarding multiple subjects. There was a large wooden desk with a matching chair, and behind it, two large windows, one of them shaped like a star and the other like a moon, displayed the Countryside. On to their right, there was another door, this one smaller, which probably gave way to another room. They also noticed that there was someone near one of the shelves, holding a book in his hands. He was an old man with a long grey beard and blue robes that extended to the floor. He was also wearing a blue pointy hat, adorned with stars and a crescent moon. He closed the book and turned to the group, as they entered in the room, still not knowing who the man was, or if he had anything to do with what was happening to them.

"You're here… It took you time to get here." –the old man said with a serene voice.

Usagi immediately recognized the voice, has being the voice that she heard, when she ended up in that strange dark place.

"You're the voice I heard! Who are you?" –Usagi asked the old man.

"My name is Master Yen Sid, and I've been expecting you and your friends, Sailor Moon… or should I call you, Usagi Tsukino?" –he declared, surprising them all, with the fact that he knew Sailor Moon's real identity.


	8. A New Adventure

Chapter 8: A New Adventure

They were all in pure shock. Whoever that strange man was, he seemed to know about their secret. Thoughts started to develop in the minds of all of them. If that man knew about Usagi's true identity, would he also know about the rest of them?

"How do you know about her identity, and what do you want from us?!" –Haruka asked him, not trusting him. In her mind, he could very well be a fiend.

"You are quite feisty one, aren't you, Sailor Uranus?" –Yen Sid asked her, revealing that he also knew her true identity.

"That still doesn't answer the question f how do you know about our true identities as Sailor Scouts, and what do you really want with us." –Michiru snapped, not trusting him either.

"You're quite right, my dear." –he observed. –"Very well, then, I better get to the point. I know who all of you are and what is your mission, but you only know my name. I thnk this calls for a more detailed presentation of myself. Like I said before, my name is Yen Sid and I'm the master magician of this world called Mysterious Tower. I'm also the one who brought you here, after Maleficent attacked you in your world, with the help of the Heartless."

Usagi and the others were somehow surprised by the fact that the man knew about the existence of Maleficent and her attack in Tokyo.

"You know that witch that attacked us?! And what do you mean about "our world"? What is that supposed to mean?" –Haruka asked him, yet again with the same aggressive tone as before.

"All in due time…" –Yen Sid said, as he got up from his chair and moved towards the group. –"First of all, let me apologize for the fact that not all of you are here. I tried to bring you all into here before being captured by Maleficent, but I was not successful in bringing two members of your group."

Usagi immediately reacted to that statement. He was talking about Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Chibimoon.

"Then, where are they?! Where are Sailor Chibimoon and Tuxedo Mask?!" –Usagi asked him. Her voice revealed fear. Part of her wanted to know what had happened to them, but the other just wanted to ignore that they might be I peril.

"I'm afraid that Tuxedo Mask has been taken by Maleficent. To where, I do not know, but he is alive, have no doubts about that. As for Sailor Chibimoon, I was able to use my powers to also get her out of there, before Maleficent could put her hands on her. But, while bringing you here, I used a lot of my energy, and unfortunately, I ran out of strength before I could bring her here." –Yen Sid declared, seeing fear and horror in Usagi's face. –"But do not worry, for I know where she is. She is in a world different from this one, and as far as I can feel she is not in peril… at least, for now."

"That's another thing! Why do you keep saying "worlds"? What do you mean by it?" –Rei asked.

"Yeah, there are already too many words and expressions which we don't know what people are talking about. First, that witch referred to a thing called Kingdom Hearts, and that she was there because of Sailor Chibimoon's heart." –Johnny stated. –"Maybe it's time to get some answers as to what that woman was talking about, who is she, and what do you have to do with her."

"Yes, you're entitled to an explanation, my friends. I'll try to simplify things, although the things I'm about to tell you might be hard to accept or understand at first."

"Try us; we're used to deal with strange and unbelievable things." –Haruka said, defying the old man.

Yen Sid returned once again to his desk. As he sat on his chair, he looked them in the eyes, and then he clapped his hands. All of a sudden, a sphere of bright light appeared, and started changing shape quite slowly. In a matter of seconds, it had assumed a different shape and different colours. It displayed what looked like a living planetarium, but this one was amazingly different from any kind of planetarium they had ever seen before. There were things that looked like small planets floating around, life if they were underwater. These small planets all had different shapes and sizes. They all look at them, wondering what they were.

"What you see are just some of the many worlds that exist. All these worlds were once connected by ways that most people do not imagine, or cannot understand. Pathways that could only be opened by the ones who wielded a special key… the Keyblade." –Yen Sid explained them.

"Pathways? What kind of pathways?" –Setsuna asked, intrigued with that fact.

"Pathways are in many ways similar to tunnels… links between these worlds. If the pathways are closed, no one can get in or out of a world, but if this one is unlocked through the use of the Keyblade, any being who knows about their existence can use them to travel into other worlds."

"So you're saying that our world is just one of many worlds which compose an even bigger world, similar to a Universe, and those worlds have multiple side-dimensions, also known as alternative realities, but one of these dimensions is like a Prime-reality, which shapes a world as it is… Is that it?" –Hotaru asked.

"In rather simple terms, yes."

That kind of knowledge was mind-blowing. To know that there were alternate realities to theirs was one thing, but to find out that their "world", or universe, was part of an even bigger universe, was something that none of the Sailor Scouts were exactly ready to know about. Luna and Artemis, who were both amazed and terrified with what they were hearing, decided to post themselves a question to Yen Sid.

"You also referred to others having used the Keyblade before. Does that mean that Usagi is not the first one to use it, and more importantly, she's not the only one who can use it?" –Artemis asked.

"Indeed, my feline friend." –Yen Sid declared. –"She's not the first one to bear the Keyblade's power, and she's definitely the only one who can use it."

"But, what is a Keyblade? What's its true purpose?" –Luna asked.

"A Keyblade is (transcrição do que é a Keyblade)

All of you who are here in this room can use it."

Once again, they all felt like they were struck by lightening. They had already seen that Usagi was able to conjure a Keyblade and to use it. But the fact of them also being able to do the same had not crossed their minds.

"You mean that we can all conjure a Keyblade?" –Naru asked.

"Why, yes, you can. All you need to do is to concentrate on that thought, and you will also be able to do it like you friend. Why don't you try it, now?"

Believing in Yen Sid's words of wisdom, Naru closed her eyes and focused her energies on that thought. Seconds passed, but nothing happened. She did not feel different or anything.

"Nothing's happening… I can't feel anything." –Naru said, with her still shut. She did not open them, because something inside her was telling her that she should keep them shut.

"Focus on your Heart, young one. Find your Heart and you'll find what you're looking for." –she heard Yen Sid saying.

Once again, she tried. Little by little, she finally found something inside her that wanted to come out… something that wanted to be free… to be unleashed… to fulfil its destiny. She found her Keyblade. It was an amazing object, floating in total darkness. Somehow, it had a mysterious glowing aura around it. Its guard was made out of what looked like crystal, and you could see a small keychain shaped like Earth's symbol on it. The blade was emerald-green and the tip, as well as the teeth was shaped like a stylized "N" from the same color as the key. Opening her eyes, she saw that the Keyblade was in her right hand. Everyone was amazed with what Naru managed to summon, just like when Usagi first summoned her Keyblade in their presence. But even more amazed and surprised was Naru herself. She looked at her Keyblade and wowed.

"My God! I don't believe it… One minute, I see it in my mind, and then, I'm holding it." –Naru said, as she lightly swung it, admiring its beauty.

"That is the power of your Heart, Sailor Earth." –Yen Sid said. –"And the same thing applies to all of you, my friends. You also have the power to summon a Keyblade… You just have to find it, within yourself, using the power of your Hearts. Why don't you also try and find it, right now?"

They all did as they were told. They all closed their eyes, and waited. They all tried to find their Keyblades. Little by little, they all started to feel something inside them. Some of them, like Rei and Setsuna were able to successfully find theirs, but others like Minako and Ami, found this task harder. Still, they all managed to find their own Keyblade and feel their power, while admiring their beauty. Ami's Keyblade had a very curious design, to say the least. The guard was shaped like a breaking ocean wave on both sides, while the blade was baby-blue and its teeth were shaped like a jet of water. The keychain in the handle was shaped like Mercury's symbol.

"Incredible!" –Ami exclaimed, as she gazed at her Keyblade.

Rei's Keyblade was also very peculiar. The guard was shaped like a ball of fire, and its blade was red with what looked like black kanji for fire and spirit, stamped in it. The teeth resembled the guard. The keychain in the handle was shaped like Mars' symbol. All in all, a rather peculiar Keyblade, which reflected tradition and mystique.

"Fantastic…" –Rei said, as she gazed upon the kanji stamped on the blade.

Makoto's Keyblade was rather complex. Its guard was shaped like a black cloud, from which two white blades shaped like lightening came out and were united by another lightening, this one being yellow. The teeth were shaped like a stylized M. Finally, its keychain was shaped like Jupiter's symbol.

"Wonderful." –Makoto sighed, passing her finger through the blade.

Minako's Keyblade looked like it had come out straight from a designer's mind. The guard was golden and shaped like a heart. The blade was white and had a golden chain around it, similar to the chain from her "Venus Love-Me Chain Atack". The key's teeth were shaped like a red heart. Its keychain was shaped like Venus' symbol.

"Wow… Mine's a work of art!" –Minako exclaimed, as she give a small kiss on the blade.

Setsuna's Keyblade resembled her Garnet Orb. In fact, the Keyblade's guard was exactly like it. The blade was black with a white stripe in the middle, and its tip resembled a skeleton key, with its red and black teeth. You could see that the keychain was shaped like Pluto's symbol.

"What an otherworldly beauty…" –Setsuna thought to herself, as she paid attention to the details of the guard.

Haruka's Keyblade was somehow different from the others, because of its shape. The guard was similar to her Space Sword, carved with jewels of all colours, while the blade was black and had two barbed shafts and teeth resembling a battle axe split into three almost claw-like protrusions. Sinister, but beautiful at the same time.

"Now this is a weapon…" –Haruka whispered to herself.

Michiru's Keyblade had a rather interesting design. Its guard was shaped like a violin, to which the blade was attached, having the same design as the handle. Its teeth were shaped like a black treble clef. The keychain was shaped like Neptune's symbol.

"So simple, yet so gorgeous." –Michiru stated, passing her fingers through black treble clef.

Hotaru's Keyblade was probably one of the scariest Keyblades of all. Its guard was shaped like a purple hourglass, while the blade was grey, and the teeth resembled the Grim Reaper's scythe. The keychain was shaped like Saturn's symbol. Still, even if it looked menacing, she liked it very much.

"It's really creepy, I suppose, but it has a sweet side, I suppose." –Hotaru commented, as she swung it, feeling its weight in her hand.

Finally, Johnny and George's Keyblades were very different from each other. Johnny's Keyblade was in a way similar to Setsuna's, but different. The guard resembled his shotgun but it had bat wings, and the blade was half black, half red. The teeth were shaped like a menacing black claw. As for George, his Keyblade was completely out of the ordinary. The guard was completely silver, as well as the blade, which was shaped like a sword. There was also a small detail about the guard, which was the fact that it was surrounded by a yellow ring, which kept floating around it, giving it an unusual look. What was more interesting was the fact that his, was the only Keyblade, which had no resemblance with a skeleton-key. Just like the Setsuna and Hotaru's Keyblades, theirs also had each one a keychain shaped like Pluto and Saturn's symbols.

"Outstanding!" –Johnny exclaimed.

"Wicked, but cool!" –George stated.

They were all marvelled with their Keyblades. They were not just weapons to them. They felt like those objects that they were holding in their hands, were like a part of their own soul. Usagi's soul could not stop rejoicing about the fact that their friends also had Keyblades, and that they were really happy about it.

"You see, now, that the power of your Hearts can accomplish any challenge that you might face in the near future, just like you have done in your home world."

"That's another thing… What exactly are "Hearts"? I mean, I known that they are not our physical hearts, but they are something that is referred to by that name. Can you tell us exactly what they really are?" –Johnny asked.

"A Heart is one of the three parts that comprise a being. The other two parts are the body and the soul. As for what a Heart is made of exactly, I'm afraid that not even I know the answer to that riddle. But I do know that a Heart is mainly made of light and darkness. There are of course 7 exceptions to the rule… the Princesses of Heart."

"That's another thing that Maleficent spoke of. Who are these Princesses and why they seem to be so important?" –Usagi asked.

"The Princesses of Heart are seven maidens' whose Hearts are made purely out of Light. Each one of them comes from a different world, and when the seven are gathered in one place, Kingdom Hearts might be unlocked." –Yen Sid explained. –"No, you're probably wondering what Kingdom Hearts is. Well, to explain you that, I'll be showing you something that happened."

Waving once again his hand, a book flew from one of the shelves right into his hands. Grabbing it, he opened it and a mysterious light appeared from it. Then, images started to appear, little by little. They all saw that the images were of a boy who was wielding the Keyblade in his hands. He was accompanied by two anthropomorphic animals, a duck and a dog. Usagi recognized them as being three of the characters that she saw when she woke up in that strange place.

"The boy you're seeing in these images is the Keyblade's Chosen One. His name is Sora, and the two characters that are by his side are Donald and Goofy, two of King Mickey's loyal subjects… Donald is the court's magician, and Goofy is the captain of the Royal Guard. King Mickey was my apprentice once, you know? I taught him everything I could in order to make him a better king, and he used those teachings to do what he thought it was right, and that was an attempt to stop Kingdom Hearts from being opened." –Yen Sid, as the whole group watched the holographic images of the countless battles. –"Still, he was not alone… Sora, Donald and Goofy helped him, along with many others, in his battle against many enemies. They prevented Kingdom Hearts from being opened twice."

"But, what is Kingdom Hearts?" –Michiru asked.

"Kingdom Hearts is what you would call the Heart of all worlds." –Yen Sid stated, as the image changed again, this time showing a Moon shaped like a Heart. –"It is a source of enormous power and knowledge. That's why so many have tried to gather Hearts in order to open it. It is said that the one who's able to open Kingdom Hearts will be given infinite power and wisdom, but all that will come with a terrible price… If Kingdom Hearts is opened, it will most likely unleash a huge amount of darkness, which will invade all worlds, dooming them forever. Sealing it off prevents that darkness to spread and contaminate other worlds."

"That's all very interesting, but that doesn't explain why we are here. I mean, don't get this wrong, because I'm incredibly thankful for getting us all out of that tight jam, but to bring us here, you probably want us to help you with something am I right?" –George asked.

"Indeed… I brought you here, because you are the only ones who can prevent Kingdom Hearts from being opened." –Yen Sid answered.

"But, you just told us that Sora, the other Chosen One and your former apprentice had been able to prevent it from being opened. So what's the problem with it? Why don't you just call them here, so they can stop whoever it is from open it again?"

"I'm afraid that I can't do that, because they have disappeared from the world they were in, without a trace. The only one that has not disappeared is King Mickey."

The whole group reacted to this. This all lead Hotaru to comment about that fact.

"Well, maybe they just decided to use the Keyblade to go for a joyride in another world." –she commented with her rather cheerful voice.

"I don't think so. If this had happened, I would have been able to locate any of them, wherever they were. I even thought that they might have been accidentally transported into the past or the future, when using the Keyblade's power, but I could not sense their presence there either. I think that someone has managed to somehow, erase their existence from the time flux. It's as if they never even existed in the first place… which would explain why the Keyblade chose Sailor Moon to be its new wielder, as well as the rest of you." –Yen Sid stated.

"But, who could have done that in the first place? Who would have power to eradicate someone from the time flux itself?" –Minako asked

"That's impossible… I mean, it's not impossible to eradicate a person from existence, but if there is one thing that I know, is that the consequences of that act could compromise Time itself. I believe that they must have been removed from the time flux current. It is impossible to eradicate someone from the time flux current, without creating massive disturbs in the Past… whoever did that, must have known that the acts of such action could also prevent it from reaching its goal." –Setsuna declared. –"Removing a person from the time flux current is actually safer, than trying to mess up the whole time flux current." –Setsuna declared.

"Yeah, it's actually quite easy to do that… You only need to know which person you want to get rid of, find a place where time does not exist, and put that person in there, making sure that it won't have a chance to escape from there… end of story. As for the kind of power needed to do that, well, you would need to have some kind of artefact that enabled you to travel through time and space as it is. Not exactly your average trip to the shopping mall, that's for sure." –Johnny agreed.

"I bet that witch Maleficent is the one behind all this!" –Makoto exclaimed.

"My thought exactly... But I do believe that she's not the only one behind it… Her powers over Darkness are very great, but, I do believe that someone else might be helping her. Still, if she really is behind all this, then there's only one way to get Sora, Donald and Goofy back from wherever they are. You'll have to go back in time, and make sure that what they made to prevent Kingdom Hearts from being opened really happens." –Yen Sid declared.

"You mean, we have to go back in time and do whatever it takes to make sure that their actions really happen, but instead of being them doing those actions, we will be the ones doing them, is that it?" –Haruka asked, to which Yen Sid complied, by waving his head affirmatively. –"But, how is that going to help us finding those three guys?"

"You see, if you're able to make sure that Kingdom Hearts is never opened, you'll be able to follow their footsteps, and maybe, by doing that, you'll make contact with those who helped them, and furthermore, with those who they fought against. That way, you'll be able to gather clues to the place where they really are, and get them out of there."

"Great…" –Haruka sighed, knowing that the task they had been assigned for was not going to be easy.

"Come on, Haruka, it'll be fun. Besides, you should see this as another adventure, you know?" –Michiru declared, as she tried to flirt a little with Haruka, who answered back with a little, but cute smile in her lips.

"Okay, you can count on us, right, everyone?!" –Usagi asked them, to which they all said yes. –"But before that, can you tell me where exactly Chibiusa is?" –she almost pleaded to Yen Sid.

"You'll find out where she is soon enough, Sailor Moon… I ca guarantee you that you will see her very soon. But before you all go, I must give you a little present, as well as instruct you in a few more things you should know, before starting this new adventure of yours." –Yen Sid said, as he signalled them all. –"Follow me, please."


	9. New Clothes

Chapter 9: New Clothes

Following Yen Sid, the group went through the door that was on their right when they entered. The door led them to another room. This one was smaller than the study where they were previously. Inside it there were also a large wardrobe, and several mirrors, which were covered with white sheets. In the middle of the room there was a small round table, with matching chairs. There were three women right next to the table. Although they looked smaller than them all, the three women were imposing figures just like Yen Sid was, and they all could sense it. One of them was dressed in red with a matching pointy hat, while the other two were dressed in green and blue, also with matching pointy hats. All of them had a pair of small wings. This made them looked like fairies, they all thought. When the three characters saw that they had company, they quickly turned around to meet the visitors.

"Oh… hello there, dears." –the woman dressed in red said. –"My name is Flora, and these are Fauna and Merryweather."

The other two women waved at them, always with a smile in their faces. The Sailor Scouts all waved back, feeling a little unease with that situation. They did not know what they were doing there, and asked themselves if those three women, who looked like fairies, had anything to do with it. Yen Sid broke the creepy silence that filled the room, by clearing his throat.

"Dear ladies, these here are the Sailor Scouts. They are the Keyblade's new chosen ones. But before I give them a few last pieces of vital information, I thought that you could help them, by giving them something which will help them in their quest." –Yen Sid stated.

"Oh, certainly, Master Yen Sid." –Fauna declared. –"I think I know exactly what you mean… This group really needs an upgrade."

"That's for sure… and nothing better than a pair of new clothes for each one of them to give them the perfect upgrade." –Merryweather said, as she looked at them.

None of them really understood what they were talking about. Already fed up with that gibberish, Minako finally said:

"What's wrong with our clothes?! I don't know about you, but from where we come, these clothes are the high from this year's fashion." –She said, like if what they had said was an offense.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear; it's not that your clothes aren't pretty." –Fauna declared.

"But the clothes you are wearing right now are just regular clothes, and that will not help you in this journey of yours." –Flora stated.

"That's why you are all going to need special clothes, which will shine your personality, but above all, which will help you managing the power of your Keyblades, as well, as gathering and mastering techniques and movements." –Merryweather explained. –"And without any delays, we're going to start with you, my dear."

"I'll do the designing." –Fauna said.

"We'll do the designing together, Fauna." –Merryweather stated, with a somehow bossy voice.

Finishing that sentence, Merryweather approached Usagi and gently grabbed her by the hand, pulling her closer to her and the other fairies. Telling her to stand straight, and to relax, the three women grabbed what looked like wands and pointed them.

"Very well, girls, let's do this… all together now." –Flora said, as Fauna, Merryweather and herself, focused.

With a gentle twist of the wand, the three of them shot a beam of light, which hit Usagi. As soon as the beams hit her, a veil of light enveloped her. Then, it disappeared, revealing Usagi now dressed with new clothes. Her clothes had been replaced by a hooded pink strapless mini-dress, made up with three zippers, although two of them looked just decorative, as well as a white halter top, underneath her mini-dress, a black belt reminiscent of suspenders around her waist, and matching pink shoes. Around her neck, she had a silver necklace shaped like a crown. You could also see pink wristbands in her wrists, and moon-shaped earrings, similar to the ones she wore when transformed. They all noticed, including her, that she was holing her broche, containing the Silver Moon Crystal, in her left hand. She stared at herself in the nearby mirror, looking at every detail of her new clothes.

"This is really gorgeous! A little unusual, I admit it, but it's gorgeous." –Usagi said as she looked herself in the mirror.

"Indeed, the pink suits you nicely, dear." –Merryweather said. –"Come now, don't be shy, everyone. I'm sure we can all give you clothes as pretty as your friend's."

Ami was the next one. Flora looked at her, like if she was looking for something. Fauna looked her deeply in the eyes, and suddenly said:

"I know what will look nice on you, my dear. Please, try to stay still."

Once again, the three of them, with a quick twist of their wands, shot a beam of light, enveloping Ami in a veil of light. The others looked patiently, waiting to see the kind of clothes that they were going to give Ami. As the light veil faded away, they saw the final result. Ami was now wearing a beautiful blue plaited, flower-patterned dress, a pair of black boots and a black spaghetti-string camisole under a white sash of material that wrapped around her neck and over her chest. She was also wearing a yellow patterned Obi with a Chōchō musubi knot and a decorative Obidome to synch the cords. Two separate, kimono-like, sleeves hanging from her upper arms complete the white and blue ensemble, giving the impression that she really looked like a princess. As she looked herself in the mirror, amazed with everything, and with the fact that the dress she was now wearing matched the color of her eyes.

"Now that's a dress…" –Johnny whispered to Setsuna who was near him, when he was grabbed by the arm by Flora. –"Hey, what's the big idea?"

"Oh, come on, young man, I know you're quite anxious to see what we have stored for you, so let's get started." –Flora stated, as she brought him near the other fairies.

"Okay, but don't have any ideas, okay? I don't want to look foolish, get it?" –Johnny declared, still thinking that the three of them had something on their minds, which he did not like.

"Now, don't you worry, the last thing we want is to make you look silly… Stand still, and close your eyes." –Fauna said.

Repeating the same gesture as before, they changed his clothes in a matter of seconds. Johnny was now wearing white shirt, over a short leather jacket with a fur along the collar, as well as small white wings on the back, as well as a light-blue and white symbol that looked like an iceberg on the left sleeve. His pants were black with three shown buckles, to on his left leg, and the other in his right leg. He was also wearing black and red tennis shoes. All in all, his clothes were sort of his style.

"Not bad, not bad at all… You ladies must have been able to read my mind, because this is just the kind of clothes I like." –he said, with a happy voice, as he looked in the mirror.

"We knew you would like it." –Flora said.

"So, who's next in line?" –Merryweather asked the whole group, seeing if she had any volunteer.

This time, it was Makoto who decided to go. She was anxious, as to what the fairies were planning for her. Already knowing what would happen to her, as soon as they used their magic, the girl tried to imagine what kind of clothes she would end up with. The veil of light had not completely disappeared yet, her eyes marveled at the result. Her clothes had a Hawaiian motif; she was wearing an orange with the design of a white flower on the side, light-brown Capri's, orange socks with a white trim at the top, and finally, a pair of yellow, black, brown and white sneakers She also noticed that she had a necklace with a light green sphere, around her neck, which matched her eyes.

"Simple, but very pretty… my kind of clothes, without a doubt." –Makoto thought to herself.

Next, Minako was chosen for the makeover. Even though she first thought that they were saying that her clothes were awful, now she was really excited, because she never thought she would have anyone design unique clothes, just for her.

"Okay, I'm ready! Now, I don't want anything ostentatious, because I like simple things, but you could give me some cool accessories to match my new clothes." –Minako suggested.

"Now, don't worry, dear. As fairy-godmothers, were used to satisfy a person's wishes. Just stand still, and let us do our magic." –Fauna declared.

In a matter of seconds, Minako had what she wished for. She was now wearing a white apron-like shirt with a violet line across the chest, a black shirt underneath the apron-like shirt, a violet mini-skirt which matched the shirt and a pair of white and violet shoes, with purple lines in them. As for the accessories she had asked, the three fairies had given her a yellow wristband to wear in her left wrist, two bracelets, one yellow, and the other black in her right wrist. She was also wearing heart-shaped hearings, and finally, around her neck, she had a necklace with a beautiful amber gem. Looking herself in the mirror, she was speechless.

"I… I… I don't even know what to say… This is the most beautiful outfit that I ever wore." –Minako said, every last bit of it being true about how she felt.

"We're glad we surpassed your expectations." –Flora said.

"Surpassed? You practically vaporized them… This is much more than I expected." –Minako declared, not being able to stop looking at herself in the mirror.

"Come on, Minako! Stop looking at yourself in the mirror, and let one of us also change clothes." –George said, to which she complied.

"Your friend is right. Time is short, so we must go on." –Flora said. – "Okay, now let's see… who will be next?"

Flora looked at them, and decided that the next one would be Michiru. Trying not to move, the aqua-marine-haired girl stood still, as Fauna, Flora and Merryweather used her magic. When the veil of light disappeared, she saw that she was wearing a beautiful long Red Bordeaux wine and pearl cetin dress, with matching shoes. Around her neck, she had a gorgeous choker with marine-blue jewels in it, which matched the color of her hair and eyes. Haruka looked at Michiru and was really impressed, for she never thought that her partner and lover could look even more beautiful than she already was.

"You look dazzling..." –that was all Haruka could say, even though she wanted to say so much more about Michiru's new appearance.

"Oh, don't worry, dear... You will look just as dazzling as her." –Merryweather said. –"By the looks of you, I would say that you are quite the rebel one, although you are loyal to those who are dear to you, and I think me and the girls have just the right clothes for you."

Using their magic, they quickly changed Haruka's clothes. She was now wearing a sleeveless navy blue jacket, with beige Capri pants, which had irregularly placed pockets; one on her right thigh and one on her lower left leg. She was also using violet crocs. All in all, her clothes were simple, but beautiful, not mention quite convenient for using during a battle.

"You're not half bad yourself, you know?" –Michiru declared.

"You don't think they make me look too girlish?" –Haruka said, as she looked herself in the mirror.

"Girlish? Girl, you got to be kidding us!" –Johnny exclaimed. –"There's nothing girlish about your outfit."

"Got that right." –Minako whispered to Makoto, who giggled about it.

"Come now, enough with the gibberish, everyone. There are still some of you, who need new clothes." –Flora said.

This time, Setsuna was the one chosen by the three fairies. With their magic, they changed the girl's clothes, giving her new garments, which she liked a lot, because they were simple, but stylish. She was wearing a black, leather tank top with a zipper down the front overtop a slightly longer, white tank top, along with a black, leather skort with two black ribbons tied on either leg. The back of the skort is quite long and reached the floor. She was also wearing black and white shoes, with black ribbons tied around each.

"Fabulous, don't you agree, girls?" –Flora asked Merryweather and Fauna, to which they agree.

"It's very beautiful indeed. Thank you ever so much." –Setsuna thanked the fairies.

Hotaru looked at Setsuna, and fell a little bit jealous about her, even if it was just for mere moment. As she tried to put away that feeling, which she found evil and rather despicable, Fauna grabbed her by the hand and told her that she would be next. Although she only expressed her happiness by making a little smile appear on her face, inside her, her heart was pounding with so much excitement and happiness, that she thought she was going to explode. Standing still like they told her to, the girl closed her eyes, because she wanted to have a huge surprise when she opened them.

The magical beams of light flew from the fairies magic wands and hit Hotaru, involving her in that mystical light shroud. A warm feeling invaded Hotaru, as she felt her new clothes replaced the ones she was wearing. Finally, the warm feeling eventually faded away, and she slowly opened her eyes to see her new set of clothes. To her own amazement, she was now wearing a black, high-collared jacket with a zipper. Over this, she wore another jacket, this one unzipped and white, with several black block designs and a grey hem on the end of each sleeve. The jacket's collar was red and pleated and folded back. She was also wearing two-colored pants; the legs of the pants were light grey with several of what looked like buttons on the hem that appeared to attach the legs to the rest of the cloth, which were dark-colored. Her shoes were colored in shades of grey and black, and had red straps in place of laces. She was really happy about the result, but she could feel that something was missing; something that would make her new outfit perfect.

"It's very beautiful and I really like it, but… I think that in needs something more, if you know what I mean?" –Hotaru stated.

"Well, maybe you could make a suggestion, dear. What would you like us to add to your outfit?" –Flora asked with her gentle voice.

Hotaru thought for a second, and then she said:

"I know a French bonnet! Those are my favorite hats... Do you think you can give me one?" –she asked them, while making sad puppy eyes, which no one could resist.

"Not a problem." –Merryweather said, as she waved her wand, giving Hotaru a beautiful light-orange French bonnet.

This time Hotaru looked herself in the mirror and told herself, that this time everything in her new outfit was perfect. You could see by her eyes that she was really happy about her bonnet.

"It's perfect! I love it." –she said, as she gave both of the fairy-godmothers a big hug. The three of them were surprised by this way of expressing her gratitude. –"I mean it, it's beautiful."

"Oh, my dear, it was nothing." –Fauna declared, as a small tear of happiness dropped from her eyes. –"It was our pleasure to give you such nice garments."

After that tender and emotional moment, Flora, Fauna and Merryweather went on with their duty. This time, Naru was the one chosen. In a matter of seconds, her clothes were replaced by a black and silver overjacket, over a marine-blue shirt, as well as a black jumpsuit, with red pockets in her legs, and gloves of the same color as the rest of the suit. She was also wearing a pair of black and yellow shoes. Naru was very surprised with the outfit they had given her, because she was expecting something a little simpler. That transformation made her remember of the moment that she revealed herself as Sailor Earth, and of her mission of protecting Prince Endimion... a mission that until that moment, she had failed to fulfill. In her mind, she wondered where he could be, becoming detached of everything else surrounding her. It was only when Rei called her name that she remembered of what was going on.

"Naru, are you alright?" –she asked her, as she touched her shoulder.

"Oh, I-I'm alright, I was just thinking to myself." –Naru said, as she looked once again to herself in the mirror. –"Thank you for this outfit, it's very beautiful."

"Indeed it is." –Rei said, to which the others agreed. –"Well, there are only two of us left. Do you want to go first?" –She asked George, to which he answered:

"Of course not, I'm gentleman. Ladies first, I insist." –he said with a polite voice, as he bowed in her presence.

That gesture made Rei giggle. She was really not used to that kind of treatment, but she liked it. Trying to relax, she let Flora and the others do their magic. They gave her a yellow dress with overall straps and a pair of high-heeled sandals. The color of her dress contrasted with the color of her hair, and although she was not used to wear that color, she admitted that it was a color that suited her fine.

"Not bad, not bad at all." –Rei said, as she looked into the mirror. –"It's not really my style, but I like it very much. Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear..." –Flora said.

"And now, you, young man! You're the last one, and I think a handsome boy like you, will love what we have in mind for you." –Merryweather said. –"Come on, girls, one more time!"

And with that, they used their magic and changed George's clothes. He was now wearing a camo shoes and pants as well as a light brown vest over a black muscle shirt. He also wearing a small necklace that had a golden X around his neck. As he looked at himself in the mirror, he felt really good about himself, because his clothes suited him like a glove.

"Okay, now you got me impressed. Nice work, I really dig this new outfit, ladies." –George said, complimenting on their magic.

"It was our pleasure. Remember, just like we said, these new clothes that we gave you all are not just fancy. They are special, and enable you to master different kind of powers. You will eventually find out what these powers are, in time. Oh, and before I forget it. Your old transformations won't work in this journey, but these garments will allow you to use your old attacks on enemies… But remember that using those attacks will consume your energy, so you must be very careful when you use them." –Flora explained them. –"And well, I guess that's that, Master Yen Sid. They are ready."

"Not yet, they aren't… we forgot about two of them." –Merryweather stated, as the other two looked at her, not knowing who she was talking about. – "We forgot about their feline friends."

She was right. All of them had had their clothes renewed, all but Luna and Artemis. The two cats were next to Usagi. When they heard their names, they went to where the three fairy-godmothers were. Flora looked at them and said:

"Hmm… I guess you two also need a little upgrade, if you're going to accompany them in their journey."

That said, the three women used their magic and gave Luna and Artemis a collar each. Luna's collar was red and had a beautiful jewel from the same color as her fur, while Artemis had been given a dark spike collar. The cats were also now wearing what looked like metallic bracelets in their paws. Although the metallic bracelets looked strange, they were incredibly beautiful.

"The collars that we gave you will enable you to cast magical attacks on the enemies, and the bracelets will enhance your strength, stamina and speed." –Fauna said.

"Thank you!" –Both of them exclaimed in chorus, really happy about it.

"Well, I guess now we're all ready, right?" –Minako asked.

"Not just yet." –Master Yen Sid said. –"Before I send you on your way, I need to talk about the enemies that you will face in your journey.\"


	10. Let the Adventure Begin

Chapter 10: Let the Adventure Begin

They all followed Yen Sid into his study. He went near one of the crescent moon-shaped windows and told them to approach. They all gathered around the old sorcerer, as he looked into the horizon. He sighed and then said:

"You know that the trip that you are about to venture on won't be an easy one. That's why I must warn you to the dangers that you are about to engage yourselves in." –Yen Sid stated. –"You all have seen the Heartless, but you don't know from where they come from or what they truly are, and that is something that you all need to know if you are to succeed in your mission."

"Then, please tell us what the Heartless are and why they do the bidding of that awful witch." –Usagi said.

"Very well, I shall tell you everything that I know about them, but before I do, et me remind you that the information that I give you might not be entirely correct, and that throughout your journey you will most certainly find new information regarding your enemies."

That said, he raised both his hands in the air and clapped them. From his hands a cloud of smoke appeared, and started to shape itself in the form of something they all had seen before… a Heartless.

"The Heartless are beings of darkness which manifest themselves in two forms; the _Pureblood Heartless_ and the _Emblem Heartless_." –He stated.

"What is the difference between them?" –Ami asked, intrigued by the nature of the subject. –"I mean, there has to be a difference between them, right?"

"That is true, Sailor Mercury, there is more than one difference between them." –The old sorcerer asserted. –"The Pureblood Heartlesses are natural Heartless, born when people's hearts are been consumed by darkness. As for the Emblem Heartless, those were created by machines that reproduce the processes of a Heart being consumed by darkness."

The cloud of smoke changed yet again, this time shaping itself into a different Heartless. This one looked like a pink monkey, although its torso was reddish brown, and its claws were black, while its tail was pink. It was wielding in its hand some kind of slingshot.

"This here is a Heartless called Sniper Wild, and it's only one of the many Emblem Heartlesses that exist. Unlike the Pureblood ones, these usually mimic the shape of creatures or objects within a world, and they all brand a symbol which differentiates them from the Pureblood Heartless. These are much more dangerous than the Pureblood Heartlesses, because not only they can mimic almost anything, but they are much more powerful." –Yen Sid concluded.

"We already battled the Pureblood ones, and they were tough, no doubt about it." –Makoto thought to herself. –"I wonder just how powerful the Emblem ones might be."

"But just like the Pureblood Heartlesses, the Emblem Heartlesses can also be eliminated by using our Keyblades, right?" –Rei asked.

"Yes, that is correct. Your Keyblades enable you to also destroy this kind of Heartlesses." –Yen Sid answered.

Well, it is clear what we are up against, but that still does no answer a question… Where do the Heartless come, and how can they exist?" –Michiru asked.

"To answer that, I shall tell you a legend, as I know it. According to this legend, the people of the Universe once lived in harmony on one world, with their hearts full of light. Unfortunately, as time passed on, they began to selfishly fight over the light, and darkness grew within their hearts, covering everything and destroying that world. The light survived in the hearts of children, who were able to rebuild the broken fragments of the one world into many, smaller worlds. However, the true light was still hidden in the darkness, so the worlds remained separate."

"So, according to that legend, the Heartless originated from a world which was a world that combined every world there is in the Universe, all because greed invaded people's hearts." –Usagi said. –"So, that means that our own world originally was part of this giant unified world."

"You're assumptions are correct, Sailor Moon."

"But, Master Yen Sid, if the world's remained separate, how come Sora and the others were able to travel to them, as well as the Heartless?" –Hotaru asked.

"That my dear, I'm afraid that not even I know exactly how it came to happen." –He answered her with a serene voice. –"But my theory is that with time, the barriers around the worlds aged and became frailer and the Heartless managed to create ways to enter in them. As for Sora and the others, being the wielders of the Keyblades, has given them the power to travel into other worlds, by using the Keyblade's power to do it… just like you."

"Well, that certainly explains many things, but now that 'm thinking about it, different Heartless must have different weak points and different powers." –Minako declared. –"How are we all going to know what kind of attack we should use against them?"

"Yeah, we won't have to know every name of them and their powers and weaknesses by heart, right?" –Johnny asked.

"For that matter, I give you this."

Yen Sid once again clapped his hands and what looked like a wristwatch appeared in everyone's right wrist. This object was similar to a digital wristwatch in shape, but when you looked at it closely, you could see that it looked like a mini-computer.

"These are the "Informants", powerful devices which will allow you to identify various kinds of Heartlesses, as well as other enemies." –He explained. –"You just need to point it to an enemy, and the information regarding it will show up, telling you what you need to know about it, in order to stop it.

"Radical!" –George exclaimed.

"Anything else we need to know about the dangers that await us?" –Haruka asked.

"Well, there is one last thing that you will need to know about before you start your journey." –Yen Sid declared. –"You see, Maleficent is not the only one that seeks power by controlling the Heartless, so it is most likely that you will encounter other creatures that also seek that power. My advice to you is to always be on the lookout, and follow your Heart at every time, for it will give you the answers you need in order to accomplish your goal. And most importantly, always trust each others."

"We will, Master Yen Sid, sir." –Usagi declared, bowing her head in respect to the great sorcerer. –"But before we go, I would like to ask you one last thing. Are we ever going to be able to go back home?"

"That is up to you to decide. When the time comes, you will all know what to do in order to return to your world."

Seeing this, the rest of the Sailor Scouts all nodded to that statement, a little smile appeared in Yen Sid's face as he also bowed in respect to them, also showing his mutual respect towards them.

"Now that I have given you all the information that you need, your journey may start."

"We're ready…" –Hotaru said, as she gave hands with Setsuna and George. –"Whatever happens, we will accomplish our mission." –She whispered to herself, gathering all the courage that she could find in her heart and soul.

"Very well then, let me open the path that it will take you to where your journey starts, and most importantly, to where your friend Sailor Chibimoon is."

When Yen Sid said those words, a warm feeling invaded Usagi's heart, because in a matter of minutes, she and the rest of the group would be one step closer to find Chibiusa, wherever she was. Everyone assumed that she was happy, not only because Usagi, probably more than anyone in the group cared about Chibiusa's safety, but because she had the biggest smile that they ever saw in her face. Luna and Artemis look to each other and also smiled.

Yen Sid used his magic and opened some kind of portal which covered the door from where they first entered. This one was formed of what appeared to be light in a liquid state, similar to the darkness that tried to envelop Usagi earlier. A mysterious glowing came out of it, and unlike the darkness, this one delivered a warm feeling. The light in it became stronger as the seconds went by. Looking to one another's, the group wondered where that would lead them.

"This portal will lead you to where your friend Sailor Chibimoon is… a world called Traverse Town. There, you will find people that will help you on your journey, but be careful because danger lurks everywhere." –Yen Sid said, answering to their question.

"Thank you so much for everything, Master Yen Sid. We won't disappoint you, believe us." –Michiru said.

"I know you will, and I have faith that you will be able to find Sora and the others, while preventing Kingdom Hearts from being opened." –Yen Sid declared. –"I just wished I could help you more."

"Don't worry; we can take care of ourselves. After all, the Keyblade wouldn't have chosen us for the job if we could not handle it, right?" –Makoto said.

"Yeah, just leave everything to us!" –George said.

"Very well, then. Good luck and have a safe journey."

As they all went through the portal, they were enveloped in the same kind of light that it had enveloped them, when they were in Tokyo. Through their minds, all kinds of thoughts went by. What kind of enemies awaited them? What friends and allies would they meet?

The journey had just begun, and they all knew that it would not be easy. But if that was the only way for them to ever go back to their own world; they would face anyone and anything that would dare try to get in to their path.


	11. Traverse Town

Chapter 11: Traverve Town

She slowly opened her eyes to see where she was. Her body felt like if she weighted a couple of tons. She tried to move, but she could feel that she did not have the strength to move finger, much less her whole body.

"S-Sailor Moon, w-where are you?" –she lightly whispered.

There was no answer. Wherever she was, Sailor Moon or the others were not there. She noticed that she was wearing her regular clothes. Gathering all the strength she still possessed in her body, she tried to get up. This proved to be a hard task, because her body felt like it was going to shatter into pieces. After a few minutes, she managed to sit on the bed and looked around. The walls were coloured in light pink, while the ceiling was white and the wooden floor was covered with a red carpet. The furniture looked like it had been bought very recently. In fact, the only piece of furniture that looked quite old was the bed where she was. That's when she noticed that there was a door on the opposite side of the room. The door slowly opened itself, revealing who was entering in the room. A tall young woman with green eyes, white skin, long brown hair braids; two short ones on either side of her head and one long one in the back, the latter sporting a cherry-red bow. She was wearing a pink dress with magenta lining and buttons going down the front, all of which were buttoned except for the last two. She also had a black string tied in the same fashion as the one on her belt around her neck like a necklace. She had a warm smile in her face, as she asked.

"Hello there… Did you sleep well?" –the young woman asked her.

"I-I-I think so… Where am I?" –she asked, not knowing where she was, or how did she got there.

"Don't worry, you're safe. My name is Aerith, and you are at my house." –The woman stated. –"What about you, what is your name?"

"I'm Chibiusa." –the pink haired girl answered.

"Chibiusa… that's a very beautiful name you got, you know? So, tell me, you're not from around here, are you?"

"Well, that depends on where am I… the last thing I remembered was being in a battle against creepy black creatures with razor-sharp fangs, and feeling like if I was being involved by a warm light." –Chibiusa explained.

"Well, I don't know what that strange light that you're talking about really is, but I can tell that the creatures you fought against were Heartless; the way you described them, there is no doubt about it." –Aerith declared.

"Heartless? So that's the name of those creatures that attacked me and my friends." –Chibiusa exclaimed. –"Tell me, did you found anyone else besides me?"

"No… I'm afraid that you were the only one that we have found, Chibiusa."

"We?" –Chibiusa asked intrigued.

"Oh, yes, it was not I who found you, it was someone else… Don't worry; you'll have the chance to meet them. But first, you need some new clothes. Those that you are wearing will call too much attention on you, and we certainly don't want that, now do we?"

Opening the closet that was right next to her, Aerith grabbed a beautiful long pink and red cetin dress. She also grabbed a pair of matching red shoes and put them right beside Chibiusa.

"I don't know if it's your colour, but if definitely is your size. I hope you like it." –Aerith said. –"I'll be waiting for you in the kitchen, alright?"

Chibiusa nodded, as Aerith exited the room. She took a look at the dress and admired it simplicity, and also how the colours created such a peculiar colour pattern. She quickly changed into that dress. Looking herself in the large mirror that existed in the room, she was surprised to see that she looked as pretty as a china doll, while wearing the dress. She giggled and put on the shows, which made her look taller than she was. After getting dressed, she left the room and made her way to the kitchen, where Aerith was cooking something. She could not tell what it really was, but it smelled good. Aerith hearing her footsteps tuned around and looked at her, amazed by the transformation.

"You're picture perfect, Chibiusa. The dress really suits you well."

"Thank you, Aerith." –Chibiusa said, as she sat by the table. –"What are you making?"

"Pancakes with Paopu Fruit jam, I hope you're hungry."

"Paopu Fruit? I never heard of that fruit before." –Chibiusa declared.

"It's a fruit that comes from another world." –Aerith explained, with a warm smile in her lips.

"Another world? That's too much information for me, you know?" –she joked about.

"I understand that all of this might seem strange and inexplicable to you… It was all strange for me, hen I first came to this world." –Aerith stated.

While Chibiusa ate, Aerith decided to ask her a few questions.

"So, tell me, from what you remember, how did you end up in this world?"

"I don't really know. Like I told you before, the last thing I remember was being in the middle of a fight with some really disgusting black creatures, and then, some sort of light engulfed me, and then, nothing." –Chibiusa explained.

"Looks like your world has been attacked by the Heartless." –Aerith said.

"Heartless? So that's the name of those disgusting creatures." –Chibiusa said.

"Well, let me tell you something; most people don't come to this world the way you did… not even when their worlds are destroyed." –Aerith declared.

"What do you mean «when their worlds are destroyed», huh?" –Chibiusa asked, as she ate another bite.

"Well, that's what ultimately happens when the Heartless take over a world. It might take longer for some, but in the end, they all suffer the same fate. The Heartless feed on people's emotions, especially anger, greed, lost and despair." –Aerith answered with a melancholic, almost morose voice. –"And when they end they all go to another world and start all over again."

"And the inhabitants of those worlds, what happens to them?"

"Most of them just disappear into nothingness, but some manage to save themselves and get to other worlds, like this one. You could almost say that Traverse Town is like a meeting point to anyone whose home world has been destroyed by the Heartless." –Aerith explained.

"Was your world destroyed, Aerith?" –Chibiusa asked, even though something in her already knew the answer.

"Yes… Just like so many people around here, I'm also one of those people whose world has been destroyed. But, I do have hope that someday, somehow, my world and the other worlds that have been destroyed, might be rebuild once again." –Aerith said. –"But, let's not talk about this, I don't want you to feel sad." –she said, as she tried not to cry. –"When you woke up, I heard you calling someone's name. Who were you calling?"

"I was calling one of my friends, Sailor Moon. Just so you know it, that's not her real name, that's just the codename that she uses when she becomes a warrior who stands for justice, love and truth."

"Interesting. I've never heard of anyone who wore a codename like that one before. Is she the only one?"

"Oh, no, there are more Sailor Scouts like her… I'm also one of those Sailor Scouts, you know? I'm Sailor Chibimoon." –she said, though she somehow thought that Aerith was not entirely believing what she was telling her. –"Here, let me show you."

Chibiusa went back into the room and grabbed something that she had in one of her pockets. That something was the small brooch where she had her Pink Moon Crystal. She went back to the kitchen, and showed it to Aerith. When she opened the brooch, a small amount of light came out of it, although not as intense as it usually was.

"You see? This is the Pink Moon Crystal, my version of the Silver Crystal, which is the universe's most powerful weapon… or at least, the most powerful weapon from the universe from where I come." –Chibiusa explained. –"Ill transform so you can see for yourself what I'm talking about."

Grabbing the brooch with her right hand, she raised it up and exclaimed:

"Moon Crisis Make-Up!"

But nothing happened. She was standing in the same place, and she had not transformed herself. It was as if the Pink Moon Crystal had lost his power, or something similar. She looked at it, and asked herself what was really going on.

"I don't understand… Why isn't it working?" –Chibiusa said out loud.

"Maybe it doesn't have any sort of power in this world, my dear. But don't worry; you don't have to prove anything to me. If you say that you and your friends are warriors who fight for love, truth and justice, then, I believe you." –Aerith said, as she got up and stood up in front of Chibiusa, looking her directly in the eyes. –"Now, I know that you want to know the rest of the group who found you. Come on, I'll take you to see the. I'm sure that they are eager to know you."

Meanwhile, in the _First District_ of Traverse Town, a mysterious portal made out of light appeared. From it, a group came out. First enveloped by the light, the people who were walking through there could not see exactly who they were, or what they looked like. But as soon as they were out of the portal, their appearance was revealed. Looking around, their eyes contemplated the new world they had just arrived. It bared a Victorian-style design. At first sight, they saw a building which had a sign saying _Accessory Shop_, another building which had a sign saying Item shop. To their left there was a restaurant, and finally to their right there was a door leading into what it was called the _Third District_, according to the sign on top of the door. Behind them was a large set of double-doors, which appeared to be closed tight. There was the smell of burning wood in the air, probably coming from the chimneys on the roofs. It was not a bad smell, but it felt strange to them.

"Well, this is something." –Makoto said, as she looked around.

"It's hard to believe that we are in another world, far away from our own." –Luna stated.

"You're right." –Minako said, as Artemis stood by her right. –"We've travelled to other locations on our planet, we've travelled to the 30th century, heck, even travelled to the Moon once, but that is nothing compared to what we just did."

"This place looks so different from our world. People seem to not even care about the fact that we just stepped out of a magical portal." –Usagi declared.

"Back on Earth, they would have been surprised, but mostly terrified by that fact." –Ami said.

"Indeed... this is a strange place." –Haruka said, as her eyes looked around.

"We'll have time to sightseeing, everyone." –Johnny said.

"He's right; we have to find Small Lady." –Setsuna agreed, as she reminded the others of what they had to do.

"Right… I think we should split up and see if anyone has seen her." –Michiru suggested. –"Who knows, maybe someone has seen her, or we might even find her ourselves."

"I agree with her, we should split up." –Usagi said. –"We'll split up I groups of three. The first ones to find Chibiusa call the others, and wait until the rest of us get there. Always keep your eyes peeled for any trouble, and be careful."

Decided to find Chibiusa, they split up in to four groups of three. Usagi, Rei and George went one direction, Setsuna, Hotaru and Johnny went together, Ami, Makoto, Naru, Luna and Artemis stayed together and paralleled George and the girls, while Haruka, Michiru and Minako decided to parallel Setsuna's group.

At the same time, Aerith and Chibiusa walked through a deserted street. In the pink-haired girl's mind, she wondered how the people who saved her would look like. After awhile, Aerith stopped in front of a door. She quickly opened it with a she had with her, and both of them entered, where they were immediately greeted by a tall handsome man. He had long, brown hair and blue eyes. He also had a distinctive scar, which ran diagonally across the bridge of his nose. He was wearing a pair of black gloves, black shoes, each with a zipper lining it, silver necklace a white undershirt and a short, black short-sleeved jacket, bearing red wings on the back a strange symbol on each shoulder. He also wore three brown belts on his left forearm, as well as three buckles on his right thigh. His black pants also sported a vertical zipper going down the side of each leg.

"I see our visitor has awakened." –he said, while looking to Chibiusa.

"Chibiusa, this is Leon. He was the one who found you." –Aerith told her.

"Nice to meet you, Leon." –Chibiusa said.

"It's also nice to meet you, Chibiusa." –Leon said. –"I'm glad to see that you are alright. The others and I were afraid that you might have been hurt… But, where are my manners? Come in, the rest of the gang will also want to know how you are." –He said, leading both Chibiusa and Aerith through a long corridor, which reminded her of the corridors of Hikawa Shrine, Rei's home.

When they finally arrived at a door, this one was opened by a girl with short, black hair and violet eyes, wearing a metal headband with two green tassels, as well as a yellow scarf. Her clothes were interesting to ay the least, as she was wearing a green tube top with two blue belts holding it up, tan short-shorts with another loose blue belt around her waist, white socks that reach about mid-thigh, orange shoes, and mesh sleeves on her arms that disappear into orange and fingerless gloves with black bands constricting the ends. Chibiusa also noticed that she was carrying on her back a 4-Point Shuriken, which strangely enough, seemed to suit her well as a weapon, given her outfit.

"Hey, there! So has our guest waked up yet?!" –the girl asked with a jovial voice, seeing that Chibiusa was already awake, taking a look at her. –"My name's Yufie, and let me just tell you that I'm very happy to meet you, and that that dress looks amazing on you!"

"T-Thank you, Yufie. I'm Chibiusa… please to meet you."

As they entered in the room, Chibiusa noticed that it was fully decorated with all sorts of interesting stuff. They looked like some kind of gizmos or something else. The walls were colored green, as well as the floor, which she then noticed that it was actually a carpet, and that the floor was made out of wood. She also noticed that there exsted two windows that were sealed shut. She looked around and saw a man leaned against the wall. Unlike Leon, Yuffie and Aerith, he looked a little older, like if he was in his early forties. He had short blond hair, albeit styled, blue eyes as well as some stubble on his chin. She also noticed that he was chewing on a toothpick. He was wearing a white T-shirt with two buttons that descended from the neck; baggy blue pants and had a very wide, orange waistband with thin, vertical stripes on it. Finally, he was wearing grey socks and black shoes. As soon as he saw them entering, he smiled.

"Hey Cid, our guest has arrived! Come say hello to her!" –Yuffie exclaimed.

Cid approached Chibiusa and smiled. She looked into his eyes, and saw only kindness in them, revealing that although he looked a little meaning because of his physique, something in her knew he had golden heart.

"Hello, I'm Chibiusa."

"The name's Cid, girl, and it is a pleasure to meet you." –Cid said, always with a smile in his lips. –"I have to say that you gave us all quite a scare, when we first found you, you know that?"

"Yeah, you were on the ground, and we thought you weren't breathing. For a moment, we thought that you were dead. But then Leon here noticed that you were only sleeping, and let me tell you, that that was a relief, because I would not want such a pretty girl like you to be harmed or worse." –Yuffie said.

"Over our stay in this world, we saw many people entering in it, but you're the first one we found fainted on the ground." –Leon said.

"Yeah, he's right. What happened to you, when your world was destroyed?" –Yuffi asked her.

While Chibiusa told Leon, Yuffie and Cid the same thing she told Aerith, the Sailor Scouts were searching for her. The groups used different means to gather information about her location. They knew she was there, they just did not know where exactly. Usagi, Rei and George had decided to ask people if they had seen anyone with Chibiusa's description, while Haruka's group decided to use Michiru's hand mirror to look for her.

"So, can you see her?" –Minako asked her, as Michiru tried concentrated herself.

After a few seconds, she sighed, as if she was tired. Through her eyes, the other two already knew the answer she was going to give them.

"No. There is too much interference in this world, like some kind of force field that prevents me from seeing a person."

"Don't give up." –Hauka said, as she gently ran her fingers through Michiru's delicate face. –"She needs us."

"You're right, she needs us, and we have to find her." –She sad with a strong and determined voice. –"Let me try once again."

She continued trying, while Setsuna's group had entered the Second District. Johnny was convinced that he could track Chibiusa by using the technology of his dimension. Using his wristwatch, he started pushing buttons, until he finally found something that looked like some kind of radar.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" –Setsuna finally asked him, fed up with the fact that he did not tell them anything.

"I'm trying to see if I can pick up any kind of energy signature that Chibiusa might have left behind her." –Johnny answered. –"In theory, when we cross into other worlds, we leave trail of residual energy from the world where we previously were. If that is true, I might be able to find her by following that energy trail."

"Just like the trail of pebbles from "Hansel and Gretel", right?" –Hotaru asked.

"Yeah, just like that trail, Hotaru."

They walked around, but did not find anything that would help them fining Chibiusa's position. Finally, they ended up in front of a house with a white door with blue stained-glass. Since the door was open, Hotaru decided to enter in it. She thought that maybe she would have better luck than Setsuna and Johnny, if she just asked whoever lived in that house if they had seen Chibiusa. When she entered, she did not see anyone. But then, there were two Dalmatians that appeared from behind a sofa. Hotaru smiled as she kneeled right next to them. She gently petted them in the head. They barked, but surprisingly, that bark was not just a bark. Somehow, Hotaru understood what they were saying, like if they were talking like humans do. She heard them saying that their names were Pongo and Perdita, and that they had lost their 99 puppies when they came into that world, right after their own world was destroyed by the Heartless. They told her that the puppies were scattered through other worlds, and they were asking her to find them. She smile tenderly to them, and said:

"Me and my friends will find them all, I promise."

As she gave her word to both Dalmatians, Ami's group had entered in a hotel, looking for any clues as to where Chibiusa would be. There was no one in the corridors, so they decided to knock on the doors, hoping that someone would answer. Normally, they would not do that sort of thing, but this was a delicate situation.

"It's strange. Nobody answers." –Naru said.

"It's hard to believe that this is actually a hotel." –Makoto declared. –"Where is everybody?"

"I agree; something smells fishy around here, and it's not tuna." –Artemis said.

"What do you mean?" –Luna asked him.

"Don't you see it? Since we passed through that double door and entered this section of this world, we haven't seen anyone."

"I'm afraid that Artemis is right. We haven't seen any person in this part of the world. It's like they knew something really bad was here, waiting for attack whoever decided to appear around here." –Ami said.

"Now that you mention it, it's really strange." –Luna said. –"Still, we have a job to do."

Then, all of a sudden, they heard a loud noise coming from one of the room, like an explosion, or something of the kind. Approaching carefully, they tried to open the door, but as soon as they touched the doorknob they were shocked.

"Transform, everyone!" –Artemis exclaimed.

"They can't transform into their Sailor Scout forms, remember? They lost the ability to do that when we were transported from our world." –Luna said.

"Oh, yeah, I completely forgot about it." –Artemis nodded, knowing that that it was truth.

"But we don't need to transform ourselves to use our powers. Step aside, I'll open the door." –Makoto said as she told everyone to stay behind her. Concentrating, she decided to try out one of her attacks on the door. –"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

With that, a sphere made out of electrical energy came out of nowhere and smashed against the door, blowing it apart. From inside, Heartless started to come out, and they looked even more vicious than before. Without losing time, Ami decided to use her "Informant" to identify the different kinds of Heartless, and to know what the best way to stop them was. Scanning took no longer than a few seconds, and it took even less to show her the information she wanted to know.

"Okay, we got three kinds of Heartless surrounding us, everyone." –Ami exclaimed. –"Two of them we already know that are "Shadows" and "Soldiers", but the new kind is completely different… It's not a Pureblood one, but an Emblem Heartless, called Large Body!" –Ami said, as she pointed to the big round Heartless, who also possessed chains on his wrists.

"Can you give us the good news now, Ami?" –Makoto asked her.

"Those were the good news, Makoto." –Ami stated with a slightly nervous voice.

"Then, I think it's time for us to show these guys, just how we Sailor Scouts fight enemies who stand in our way." –Naru declared, as she made appear her Keyblade and prepared to fight.

"She's right, let's give these guys a taste of our powers, Ami!" –Makoto exclaimed, as she too made her Keyblade appear in her hands.

"You're right, let's do it! Aim for its head, that's its weak point. And by the way, don't call me by my real name… Call me Sailor Mercury." –she said, as her Keyblade also appeared, and she charged against one of the "Soldiers".

"Okay, I got it." –Makoto laughed about it.

Luna and Artemis looked to each other and then charged against one of the "Shadows". Truing to call for backup, Naru turned on her "Informant" and tried to use it to contact with the other groups.

"This is Sailor Earth, can anyone hear me?"

"This is Sailor Mars, I'm hearing you, what's the matter?" –Rei asked her, breathlessly.

"We're being attacked by Heartless! I think they set us an ambush and we fell in it.. Think you guys, or one of the other groups can give us a hand?"

"Sorry, but you're not the only one who fell on to a trap, Sailor Earth. The other two groups are fighting against groups of Heartless that appeared out of nowhere, and so are we." –Rei said.

While the Sailor Scouts faced the Heartless, Chibiusa continued explaining to Leon, Yuffie and Cid what had happened to her. She told them everything she said to Aerith.

"So, in your world you're some kind of vigilante who fights for love, justice and peace, is that it?" –Cid stated.

"That's so cool! You really must have an exciting life, that's for sure." –Yuffie said. –"Fighting those bad guys must be really tough, but it also is a way to pump up the adrenalin into your body."

"Still, it is a dangerous life." –Leon said.

"Yes, it is a little dangerous, but my friends and I have to stop those evil creatures, otherwise, our world will be in great peril." –Chibiusa said. –"The world might never know what really happened, but that doesn't matter, because what is important is that the evil shouldn't prevail."

That's when they heard a loud noise coming from outside. Yuffie went to open one of the windows, when something just thundered in from it, making her lose her balance. It was a Heartless... a Shadow to be more exact. Yuffie tried to retreat, but the creature grabbed her foot. Chibiusa seeing Yuffie being attacked felt something burning in her chest. Something that wanted out; she closed her eyes, and opened them a split second later, and saw that she was holding in her hand a key-shaped weapon. Its handle was heart-shaped, as well as the blade. The tip was shaped like the head of a white bunny rabbit. She recognized the kind of weapon, bearing in mind that Sailor Moon used a similar one in their battle against the Heartless in the Tokyo Tower. Not knowing how, her body moved instinctively and with an incredible somersault, she positioned herself right next to Yuffie, as she swung her weapon, and destroyed the Heartless that was grabbing her leg. Seeing that, Leon became surprised.

"A Keyblade?! You are actually a Keyblade wielder?"

"A Keyblade wielder?" –Chibiusa asked him. –"If by a Keyblade, you mean this strange weapon, then I guess I am. Although, I don't know how this came to be. I never saw this thing before, in my life."

"And looks to me she's not the only one, Leon! Come take a look at this!" –Yuffie exclaimed, as she looked through the window.

Leon quickly went to the window, and saw that Yuffie was right. Outside, there was a group of Keyblade wielders fighting an enormous group of Heartlesses. He never thought he would see many Keyblade wielders in one place at the same time. Chibiusa joined him and the rest of the group, to see what was going on, when she recognized them. It was Usagi, Rei and George.

"I don't believe it!"

"You recognize them?" –Cid asked Chibiusa, who was still in shock.

"It's Rei, Usagi and George! They are the friends I was telling you about." –Chibiusa answered, watching her friends fighting against the awful creatures. –"I have to help them!" –She exclaimed, as she quickly headed for the door.

"Wait for us! We'll help you!" –Yuffie said, as she and Leon followed the pink-haired girl outside.


	12. Fighting the Guard Armor

Chapter 12: Fighting the Guard Armor

As the Heartless came out from the shadows, the Sailor Scouts tried their best to get rid of them. But no matter how many they were able to destroy, more and more kept coming towards them, like if they were attracting them like a magnet.

"There's no way we can keep up like this!" –Rei said.

"I know, but there's no way for us to run. We can't go forward, but we can't go back either." –George said, as he sliced yet another Heartless.

Suddenly, three Heartlesses came out of nowhere and attacked Sailor Moon. They were about to grab her with their claws, when something hit them. That something was Chibimoon's Keyblade, who performed a somersault in order to get them, just before they could harm Sailor Moon. When she saw Chibimoon, her heart almost jumped out of her chest. The pink haired girl landed right next to her, and smiled.

"What took you all so long to find me?" –She asked Sailor Moon.

"Long story, I'll tell you everything later. Right now we have to get rid of these ugly creatures!" –Sailor Moon said, smiling back to her.

"Need a hand?" –she heard a voice.

It was Leon and Yuffie who came after Chibimoon. The Sailor Scouts noticed that he was wielding a Keyblade too. This one looked like a silver revolver, which was kind of strange, for they had never seen a weapon such as that one, which combined elements of both a Keyblade and a fire gun. As for Yuffie, she was wielding a 4-Point Shuriken, which she used to repel the many Heartless that kept appearing.

"Thanks!" –Sailor Moon said, as Leon sent a nearby Heartless flying through the air. –"But who are you?"

"Introductions can wait, these guys can't!" –Leon declared.

"He's right, we got to keep moving, and try to find the rest of the group." –George said, as he executed a somersault taking care of three Heartlesses in the process.

"I'll lead the way, follow me!" –Yuffie said. –"Nobody knows these streets like I do. If your friends are nearby, we'll find them in a jiffy." –She exclaimed as she somersaulted, ending right in front of Rei, so she could lead them out of there.

At the same time, Michiru and Haruka were having a few problems of their own. They tried to repel all of the Heartlesses that appeared in front of them. Minako who was with them, tried to help them, but they were just too many for the three of them, especially because the kind of Heartless that started to appear were capable of shooting lightning, fire, and ice at them. Using their acrobatic skills, and combining them with their ability to swing the Keyblade they all manage to gain some manoeuvre space, in order to get out of there.

"This is getting stupid!" –Haruka stated as sliced yet another Heartless.

"I know. These creatures just keep coming. We have to come up with a plan to get rid of them." –Michiru said.

"I think I have one! We need to concentrate them all into one place." –Minako said, swinging her Keyblade at another Shadow, blasting him.

"It's a good like any other, but it's worth a shot!" –Michiru exclaimed, as she dodged an attack.

"Okay! Let's concentrate our attacks into a single one, and try to direct them to somewhere where we have enough space to manoeuvre at will!" –Haruka said, as she positioned herself between Michiru and Minako, trying to mimic their movements.

Setsuna, Hotaru and Johnny were also having troubles of their own. Not only they had been cornered, but the Heartlesses that had cornered them were none other than Large Bodies, and were blocking the passage.

"Out of our way!" –Johnny exclaimed as he managed to destroy one of the Large Bodies.

"It's no good! These things just keep coming, no matter how many we destroy!" –Hotaru said, as she fell into the ground, after being pushed by one of the Heartless.

Seeing that, Setsuna quickly evaded an attack, and slide over to where Hotaru was, helping her to get up. You could see a little fear in the young warrior's face, and if it was not for her friends who were there to protect her, she would probably be consumed by it. Still, she tried to look strong, also in order not to discourage Setsuna and Johnny. Just as Hotaru managed to stand up, a Soldier Heartless jumped over her, and if it was not for Johnny's agility and quick reflexes, it would have hurt the purple-haired girl.

"Keep swinging your Keyblades, and don't let your guard down! We have to find the others!" –Setsuna said, as she destroyed another Heartless.

Out of the blue, something sliced and diced more than ten Heartlesses at once. Once it hit the ground, they all saw what it was… a 4-Point Shuriken. They looked and saw a couple of strangers, one of them wielding what looked like a Keyblade. Then, they saw Chibimoon, as well as Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars and Sailor Saturn Net Surfer right behind them, as a small army of Heartless chased them through the narrow streets, trying to grab them.

"Look, it's our friends!" –Chibiusa exclaimed, as she saw Hotaru and the others.

"And looks like, they are in need of a little hand." –Rei pointed out, as she prepared herself to give them a hand. –"Burning Mandala!"

Using her attack, she managed to create a temporary corridor through the blasted creatures that were on to get them. Even though they were in the middle of the battle, Chibiusa and Hotaru just could not help, but to hug each other. As they hug, it seemed to them that time stood still, and nothing else mattered. Unfortunately, this feeling did not last long. Breaking the hug, both girls managed to get rid of a Heartless who was about to attack them. Focusing on the battle, they knew they would have time to talk about what happened to both of them. Right now, they had to focus on what was happening.

"I'm glad to see that you decided to come and help us." –Johnny declared. –"Who's the guy who's also wielding a Keyblade, and the girl who's holding a shuriken?" –He asked to Usagi.

"We don't know either! The only thing we know is that they helped Chibimoon, and that they don't like the Heartless!" –Usagi answered him, as she took out another Heartless.

"Less chit-chat, more action!" –George said, as he somersaulted over a Heartless, lading right next to Leon who had solely dispatched seven Heartlesses through the air, with one blow.

"Couldn't have said better myself. Let's keep moving… everyone follow Yuffie!" –Leon warned the others. –"Yuffie, you know what to do!"

"Roger that! Come on, everyone, follow my path!"

In the meantime, Naru, Ami, Makoto, along with Luna and Artemis had managed to get out of the hotel, and were now outside, battling every Heartless they could lay their eyes on.

"Roots of Fate!" –Naru exclaimed.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" –Ami exclaimed.

"Supreme Thunder!" –Makoto exclaimed.

Their attacks combined with the power of their Keyblades had a devastating effect on the creatures that were attacking them. Still, the more Heartlesses they took out, the more appeared, replacing the ones they got rid of. Luna and Artemis were making use of the new abilities that their special garments were giving them, and attacked the every Heartless they laid their eyes on with an incredible speed and agility. With quite some difficulty, they managed to get to the Second District square.

"How many of these creatures are they?" –Luna asked out loud.

"Don't know, I lost count of them already…" –Artemis said, as he managed to take down another one.

"If only we knew a way to keep them from appearing." –Makoto said.

"Keep fighting everyone! We must do whatever we can to prevent these creatures from hurting innocent people." –Ami declared.

"We're with you, Ami!" –a voice exclaimed.

Running through the middle of the ocean of black creatures, came Minako, Michiru and Haruka, who had adopted a technique to repel the attacks of the Heartless, by coordinating their attacks at the same time. When they got to where Ami's group was, they were completely exhausted, still, they knew that there was no time to rest.

"Maybe it was a bad idea for us to split up." –Minako said. –"Maybe if we had stuck together, these icky creatures wouldn't be so tough to handle."

"I got to agree with you. This would be much easier if we hadn't split up." –Makoto said.

"Have you tried to contact the others?" –Michiru asked, as she managed to repel another Heartless.

"We have tried, but they were already having problems of their own." –Ami answered back.

"We could really use some reinforcements, that's for sure." –Makoto said.

"Then wait no more, because the cavalry has arrived!" –someone shouted, from the middle of the sea of black creatures.

From the middle of that living sea of darkness, Usagi and the rest of the gang appeared, leaded by two individuals. Using the Keyblade's power, they also opened a path through that madness, and joined Ami and the others. When they saw that Chibiusa was with them, they all felt better, knowing that their friend was safe and sound.

"What took you so long?" –Haruka asked sarcastically, with a smirk n her face.

"The traffic around here is a complete madness." –Rei said, between a couple of laughs, trying to relief the pressure.

"Does anyone of you have an idea for us to get rid of these things, braniacs?" –George asked, referring to both Ami and Johnny.

"No." –Ami answered.

"I wish I had one, but unfortunately I don't, and I don't think these creatures are going to give me enough time to come up with something." –Johnny answered, as he stroke another Heartless, with his Keyblade.

"I think I got one!" –Leon exclaimed. –"Everyone form a circle and start advancing towards the Heartless, very slowly, in order to get us more space to manoeuvre, and it's also a way for us to be sure that they don't jump on us.

The whole team quickly assembled themselves into a circle, and on Usagi's mark, they started to take out as many Heartless as they could, never breaking the formation. Incredibly enough, it all worked fine, and they were able to reduce the number of enemies that surrounded them. But when they thought they had things under control, something happened. The Shadows, the Soldiers, the Large Bodies, and all the other kinds of Heartless that were attacking them, they simply vanished into thin air, leaving no trace whatsoever of their early presence there. Everyone looked around, trying to spot any kind of threat that could have made the Heartless just disappear, but did not see anything.

"Do you think we won?" –Minako asked out loud.

"I don't know… it looked too easy. Just when we were gaining the upper hand of things, the Heartless disappear." –Rei said. –"It's as if they had been told to retreat."

"Maybe they got chicken…" –Yuffie kidded.

"Don't count on it, Yuffie. These creatures are as vicious as vicious can be. They wouldn't retreat without someone ordering them." –Leon said.

"He's right, everyone. My watch is picking up something… something big…" –Johnny said.

All of a sudden, a giant Heartless appeared in the middle of the Second District square. It was about 100 feet tall, and it resembled an old armour. It was purple, silver and black, with a couple of traces of red in its junctions. Its arms and legs were separated from the metallic hourglass-shaped torso, where you could see the Heartless' symbol in it. Its metallic claws were sharp and menacing, resembling the claws of a giant tiger. From all Heartlesses that they had faced so far, including the one that had attacked them in their home world, this was the biggest of them all.

"What is that?" –Haruka asked as she looked at the Heartless, trying to figure out what would be the best way to defeat him.

"It's a Guard Armor!" –Ami said, as she checked her "Informant" for that particular Heartless. –"This guy is an Emblem Heartless. His main attacks are physical, and it says here that its arms and legs are not attached to its torso, and that can move and attack independently.

"Well, no matter what it is, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Attack!" –Johnny exclaimed, as he launched himself, attacking the huge Heartless.

Following Johnny's example, they all attacked the Guard Armour. This one was considerably stronger than the other Heartlesses, and it seemed that it did not even fell the attacks. Every time they were able to hit him with their Keyblades, it did not react. It was like if they were mere insects to it. But out of the blue, it started to swing his arms all around, trying to punch the Sailor Scouts. Makoto tried to hit one of the arms, but it was her who got hit by it, and she flew a couple of feet, before landing on the ground. She quickly got up and went up against it again, not caring for whatever might happen to her. Michiru decided to combine one of her attacks with Haruka's, and tried to strike the creature's torso, in an attempt to unbalance it, and make it fall on his back.

"Now, Haruka! Submarine Violin Tide!" –Michiru cried, as she pointed her Keyblade to the monster.

"World Shaking!" –Haruka yelled, making the same movement as her partner and lover.

The combined strength of both attacks was quite great and the creature felt it, unlike the attacks inflicted just by the Keyblades. Unfortunately, it was not enough to make it fall on his back. Seeing them failing, Hotaru came up with a strategy of her own.

"If I can hit it on the head, I'm sure I'll be able to at least knock it down." –she told herself.

Stepping back a couple of feet she than ran as fast as she could, each step bringing her close to her purpose. She then used her Keyblade, and used the magical ability that it possessed to shoot fire. Using it as a way to propel herself in the air, she mimicked her favourite Olympic athletes and jumped as high as she was able to. While in mid-air, she became amazed with herself, for she did not know that she could do that. Coordinating her landing, she landed right on top of the creature's head and swung her Keyblade, banging it on its head. The other Scouts looked up and saw what she was doing, and decided to give her a hand. But just as they were about to help Hotaru, she slipped and started to fall. Trying to get a hold on something, she thrust her Keyblade into the creature's arm, making it scream in agony. As the Heartless screamed, its arm just crumbled and disappeared. Thanks to that movement, not only Hotaru was able to land safely, without injuring herself, but she also managed to destroy one of the creature's arms.

"How did you do that?" –Leon said, as he fired a fire ball with his Keyblade, targeting the Heartless' torso.

"I.-I don't know… I just used all my strength into that attack, not because I did want to destroy it, but because I did not want to injure myself in the fall." –Hotaru said.

"The Heartless are creatures of pure evil, maybe it was something you were thinking about, that its energy got transferred to that blow, which was incredibly powerful. What were you thinking when you were falling?" –Leon asked her, desperate to find a way to destroy that thing.

"I was thinking about my family, and my friends, I guess." –Hotaru answered him.

"That must be it. Good memories are something that is essentially dear to someone, because they reflect the love that a person has for something. If Heartless are born from the evil and darkness from people's hearts, then, good memories most counteract as the opposite to Heartless." –Chibiusa suggested.

"It must be that." –Usagi agreed. –"Everyone, when you strike this creature, I want you to think about the thing that you consider the dearest to you, okay?"

Needless to say, that all of them did as Usagi told them. Ami thought of her mom and how she really missed her, while Rei thought of her grandfather and about the great friendship that all of them nurture for each others. As for Makoto, she thought about her passion for cooking, as she thrust her Keyblade into the creature's feet. Minako also thought about her parents, and also thought about Artemis. Haruka and Michiru thought about each other and the love bound that linked them, while Setsuna thought about how Hotaru and Chibiusa made her feel happy whenever they were near her. As for Hotaru, she once again thought about her family and friends, while Chibiusa thought about all her friendships, and how her friends had always been there for her, even when she thought she was all alone. Naru thought about the good moments she had with Usagi and Umino in the past. Johnny and George thought about their home dimension, and the hope they both had that one day they would be able to go back there. Finally, Usagi thought about Mamoru and Chibiusa. As if it was magic, their attacks started to affect the Guard Armor. Soon it had lost one of his legs, and it was starting to give in. Being pumped by the adrenaline in his blood, Johnny reached for his pocket, and hoped that what he was looking for was inside his pockets. Luckily, he found it. He took out yet another of his futuristic gadgets of his pocket, thanking for the fact that when the Flora, Fauna and Merryweather gave them new clothes, they had put everything they had with them in the pockets of their new garments. Pressing a couple of buttons, the little device soon turned into what it looked like a radio. He had decided to put on some music, to help everyone relax while in battle.

"This might help us!" –he said, as he jumped in the air and threw the radio into the ground and this one started to pump out music.

"How is this going to help us?" –Haruka asked him sarcastically, not really believing that a radio could help them.

"Feel the music! We, the Sailor Scouts, in out home dimension tend to fight against all kinds of bad guys to the rhythm of them music! Let's see if you guys can also do that!" –Johnny declared, as the music started. – "Music, maestro!"

_It's been a long, rough road  
And I'm finally here  
I move an inch forward,  
Feels like a year_

Everything you feel,  
It's so unreal  
Is it true?  
Is it true?  


"Man! I just love this music!" –George exclaimed.

"I know; that's why I put it on the radio's memory card, genius." –Johnny commented, as he fired way an ice sphere with his Keyblade.

_I take one step forward  
Two steps back  
I have a hundred-thousand pounds  
Sitting on my back_

Up, down  
All around  
Don't know quite what to do  
To get through

Well I'm on my way  
On my way  
On my way  
On my way

Here I am (Here I am)  
Made it to  
The end of you

Never had a chance when I'm around (No, No)

No No No No  


"Hit this guy with everything you got!" –Naru yelled, as she hit the Heartless with her Keyblade, while also kicking it, in the leg.

_Well now I'll never turn back (Never turn back)  
I'll never turn that way  
No matter how life tries to face me,  
I turn the other way_

Now and then (Now and then)  
My head starts to spin (Starts to spin)  
I'll never turn back....again! 

"We're hurting it! Everyone jump and attack its arm!" –Rei said, as she also jumped, wielding her Keyblade in her hands.

"You heard her! Target that bastard's arm and tear it apart!" –Haruka exclaimed in rage.

_From this moment on (Moment on)  
I am moving on (Moving on)  
And I'll never turn back!_

I guess I'm doing alright  
I'm on my way  
Facing every moment  
Day by day

Take a chance on black  
Or tunnel into light  
Head straight  
Head straight

What will I become if I don't look back?  
Give myself a reason, for this had lack

I can learn  
I can turn  
I can stay right here  
Where I'm at  
Where I'm at

Well I'm on my way  
On my way  
On my way  
On my way

Well here I am (Here I am)  
Made it to  
The end of you

Never had a chance when I'm around (No, No)

No No No No  


"We're almost there! Just a few more hits, and I think it'll go down!" –Usagi said.

_Well now I'll never turn back (Never turn back)  
I'll never turn that way  
No matter how life tries to face me,  
I'll turn the other way_

Now and then (Now and then)  
My head starts to spin (Starts to spin)  
I'll never turn back....again!  
  
_From this moment on (Moment on)  
I am moving on (Moving on)  
And I'll never turn back !_

I  
I  
I'll never turn back!

As the music faded away, the Guard Armor shrieked in pain, as Usagi somersaulted and thrust the Keyblade in the Heartless' torso, making what looked like veins of light appear in it. From them, beams of light started to come out, and suddenly, the creature's torso blew up, and what's left of the Guard Armor disappeared into thin air. Panting, trying to regain their breath, all the Sailor Scouts looked to each others and smiled, as their heart beat went back to normal. Luna and Artemis approached Usagi.

"Nice work, Usagi." –Luna said happily.

"Thanks, but I wouldn't have been able to stop it if you all hadn't helped me. " –she answered her, as all of a sudden something really magic happened.

In front of the girl's eyes, something began to materialize, enveloped in tiny sparkling stars. At first, she did not know what it was, and neither the others. Little by little, the object materialized in front of everyone's eyes, turning into a new Keyblade. This one was extremely simple, yet beautiful. Its handle was shaped in the form of a crescent Moon, while its blade was pink. At the tip of the blade, the teeth were also shaped in the form of a crescent Moon, but unlike the other that it was yellow, this one was silver. Finally, the Keychain was shaped as a small pink rose bud. Usagi gently grabbed it, and as soon as her fingers touched it, she felt its power flowing through her body, the same kind of power that she had felt when se first used the Kingdom Key.

"Whoa, a new Keyblade!" –Minako exclaimed. –"Please, let me have it, Usagi, please."

"Sorry, young lady, but I'm afraid that a Keyblade chooses its master, and it looks to me that it chose your friend." –Leon declared, with a gentle voice.

"By the way, now that we got rid of all the Heartlesses, we would at least like to know how you are, if you don't mind presenting yourselves, of course." –George said.

"Of course… My name is Leon, and this here is my friend and companion, Yuffie." –he said.

"And those over there are Aerith and Cid!" –Yuffie exclaimed, with her joyful voice, as she pointed out to the last two, who waved back at the group, were arriving at the square right at that moment.

"Well, you already know Chibiusa… I'm Usagi, also known as Sailor Moon, and this one over here is Minako, known as Sailor Venus." –Usagi said, as she presented them.

"I'm Ami, but you can also call me Sailor Mercury." –Ami waved.

"I'm Rei and she's Makoto, we're Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter." –Rei said, as she and Makoto waved.

"Those two lovebirds over there are Haruka and Michiru, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune respectively, and I'm Johnny, Sailor Pluto FX Destroyer, if you prefer." –he said, as he cleaned his sunglasses.

"I'm Setsuna, also known as Sailor Saturn; this is Hotaru, also known as Sailor Saturn." –Setsun said, as Hotaru waved shyly.

"I'm George, also known as Sailor Saturn Net Surfer." –he said.

"I'm Naru, also known as Sailor Earth." –Naru said.

"And these two here, are Luna and Artemis." –Chibiusa said, as she held both of them in her arms.

"Well, it seems that we'll have lots of people to have tea with us, today." –Aerith said, with her sweet caring voice.


	13. Blast Off!

Chapter 13: Blast off!

After a nice cup of tea, Chibiusa told the whole gang how she had met Leon and the others, and Usagi and the gang explained to her how they ended up there, and what their mission was.

"So, let me get this straight. You're saying that an old wizard called Yen Sid has told you that we were chosen to be new bearers of the Keyblade, the weapon that we all used to fight off those awful creatures, which are called Heartless, is that it?" –Chibiusa asked Usagi, as she finished her cup of tea.

"Pretty much. Three fairies called Flora, Fauna and Merryweather also gave us these cool clothes, which they say amplify our powers, and that we have to prevent something called Kingdom Hearts from happening, while looking for the last Keyblade bearer and his companions, who disappeared from existence." –Usagi completed her explanation.

"That's a lot of work you got there to do, kiddos." –Cid said.

"I know, and well, all the help we can get is welcome. Yen Sid said that the Heartless have infiltrated in every world that exists, and so, we need to visit other worlds and make sure that those creatures don't hurt any more innocent people." –Usagi said.

"And do you know how to get there?" –Cid asked.

"Well… not really." –Usagi declared. –"Yen Sid didn't tell us exactly how we are going to get to the other worlds. He only told us that the Keyblade would point us the way, just like it did to the previous Keyblade wielder, Sora."

When Usagi said Sora's name, something inside Leon's head called his attention.

"Sora? Why is that name seems so familiar?" –Leon thought to himself.

"What is it, Leon?" –Yuffie asked him.

"It's the name of the previous Keyblade wielder… It's like if I had heard it before." –Leon answered his partner.

"Now that you mention it, the name also seems familiar to me. But I think none of us ever heard it before." –Yuffie said.

"I do believe that you might be some of the people that he must have met during his adventures, but because he was removed from the time flux current, everyone who met him and his companions, must have forgotten about them." –Johnny explained.

"And that's not all; we're also looking for the only member of his group that is still out there, an anthropomorphic mouse, named King Mickey. Do you remember of him, or have seen him?" –Setsuna asked them.

"I'm afraid not…" –Aerith said.

"The name is also familiar, but we haven't seen anyone that resembled that description. Maybe he's in another world, and hasn't been able to get to this one yet." –Yuffie said.

"I guess we're no where near of finding any of them, everyone." –Rei said.

"Anyway, we have to get going. But how do we get out of this world in this first place?" –George asked. –"I knew we should have asked that old wizard!" –he said, cursing that fact.

"Well, cursing our luck isn't going to get us anywhere, George." –Haruka said.

"You know, maybe I can help you out with that little detail."-Cid said. –"You guys need a way out of this world, and the only way to do that is to travel in a space ship, a Gummi ship."

"A Gummi ship?" –Naru asked.

"What is that?" –Hotaru asked him.

"A Gummi ship is a special space ship that enables people to travel through dimensional rifts, and so, get to other worlds safely… and it just happens that the one that me and the others used to escape from our own world, just before this own disappeared, is still operational. If the rest of the gang doesn't oppose it, you guys could have it." –Cid declared, while looking to Leon and the others, whose eye look said that they agreed.

"And, is it fast?" –Johnny asked.

"Are you kidding, kid? Of course it is! In fact, it's probably the fastest Gummi ship to ever been build! Why don't I show it to you, right now?"

That said, Cid told them to follow him. The whole group agreed immediately that they wanted to see the ship. Everyone was excited; all, except for Johnny and George, who were already used to see space ships in their home dimension.

"I wonder how the ship is." –Chibiusa said out loud.

"Me too, Chibiusa, me too… But one thing is for certain, it has to be really big to transport lots of people." –Hotaru said, smiling to Chibiusa, who replied to Hotaru's smile, with a smile of her own.

After almost ten minutes, they stopped in front of what looked like a warehouse. Cid opened the door, and revealed what was inside.

"Amazing…" –Ami said, as she looked at the space ship.

"She's a beauty, isn't she? I made her from scratch… You know, it took me only a couple of minutes to come up with the plans for it, but it took me more time than I thought to perfect it in every detail." –Cid admitted.

"Does it work?" –Johnny asked Cid, not convinced that that Gummi Ship could actually fly.

"Are you kidding me, boy? This ship is one of the best in this universe. It can take you wherever you want!" –Cid told him, showing off a little temper.

"I just have one question. When can we depart?" –Usagi asked him.

"As soon as finish a couple of modifications. It's been a while since she flew, and if you're going on a long trip, you're definitely going to need a couple of extras in it." –Cid said. –"In the meantime, Leon there can take you to the Moogle Synthesis Shop." –he said, as he approached the Gummi Ship, ready to make a couple of modifications.

"The Moogle Synthesis Shop? What's that shop and what is a Moogle?" –Minako asked, not understanding a word of what they talked about.

"You'll see." –Leon said.

Leaving Cid in the warehouse, everyone followed Leon through the narrow streets, until they reached _First District_. Leon walked into a store that was located on a small building, with the rest of the group following him. As soon as they entered in a shop, the first thing they noticed was that the walls were yellow; a canary-yellow, which was a colour that gave away a warm thought. There were wooden tables all over the place, where strange materials rested, and they were met by a strange creature. It was just one of many that were flying around the place. They were small, white creatures resembling plush toys, with large, spherical heads, small ears sprouting out of the sides of their heads, and stubby hand and feet that lack distinct digits. Their eyes were constantly narrowed into brown slits and their noses were bulbous and pink. The creatures also sported tiny, purple wings like those of a bat on their backs, but, perhaps their most distinctive traits were large, red, spherical "pom-poms" on attached to the tops of their heads by a thin, brown, antenna. Hotaru looked at them and found them extremely cute, comparing them to one of the plush animals that she loved to collect.

"Are these the Moogles?" –Setsuna asked Leon.

"Yes, they are. Don't let their appearance fool you. They are all experienced artisans when it comes to the art of synthesis." –Leon said.

"Synthesis?" –Makoto asked them.

"It's not exactly an art, it's almost a science, which allows you to create new objects from raw materials." –Yuffie told her.

"Oh, in our world, we have something similar. It's called alchemy, and of course, let's not forget that we also have chemistry, even if it's a little different from alchemy." –Michiru said.

"But, what exactly are we doing here?" –Haruka asked, as she pulled Michiru closer to her, and then putting her arm around her waist.

"Moogles are known to be able to synthesize all kinds of materials, like I said. But they are also known to be able to examine objects like weapons, such as shields, staffs and of course, Keyblades. If you want to, and I'm sure you all want to, they can tell you the characteristics of your Keyblades; their weaknesses, their attacks, and of course, if they are resistant to an element, or to many, and even tell you the name of your Keyblades… you know, the full characteristics of your Keybades." –Leon explained them.

"The Keyblades have names?" –that was the first thing that Usagi asked.

"Of course they have. Just like every powerful or important weapon, the Keyblades also are given names." –Leon said. –"Just give me a couple of seconds to talk with them."

They all heard Leon talking a strange language, which they tried to figure out what it was, but it seemed that it did not resembled any kind of human language that existed on Earth. Finally, Leon finished talking with the Moogle, he turned to the group with a little smile on his face.

"He says that there won't be a problem, and that he would love to tell you all the characteristics from each one of your Keyblades… In fact, he considers it an honor doing that."

"Great. This ought to be fun." –George said.

"That was some strange language you were talking with the Moogle, you know?" –Chibiusa said. –"What's its name?"

"It doesn't have a name, but it's one of the most ancient languages from our home world." –Leon said.

"It looks and sounds strange, at least to me. It must be very hard to learn it." –Minako declared.

"Not really. It just looks harder than it really is, just like Al Bhed, which is another language from our world. Once you learn the basics, the rest is pretty easy." –Aerith told them.

"Could you teach us?" –Hotaru asked, always with a cute smile and a warm smile, making her look incredibly adorable.

"Sure, I would be delighted to teach you." –Yuffie said. –"But right now, let's find out a couple things about your Keyblades."

They started by taking a look to Usagi's newest Keyblade. In a matter of seconds they examined it and told her that its name was the "Crescent Moon" and that it had Orichalcum Crystals in its composition, a very rare element, which made a person's magic flow through the blade much easier. The same thing was said about Chibiusa's, whose Keyblade was named "Pink Sugar". They then examined Ami's, and told her that this one was named "Enchanted Wave" and that it had been forged using Blizzard Gems and Dark Gems, which enabled its wielder to perform stronger ice attacks, giving the user greater speed. Rei's Keyblade was next. It was called the "Blazing Spirit" and it had been forged using Flame Crystals and Flame Gems, which allowed its wielder to cast powerful fire attacks.

"Figures… I mean, she's the Fire Scout, so her Keyblade had to be forged to help her cast fire attacks." –Michiru commented with Haruka.

Makoto's Keyblade was the next one to be examined by the Moogles. They told her that her Keyblade's name was the "Rumbling Thunder" and it had been forged, using Lightning Crystals and Light Gems, which enabled her to cast more powerful electrical attacks and superior stamina. Minako was so thrilled to know the details of hers that she literally made it appear right in front of one of the Moogles, and begged him for any kind of details. In just a couple of minutes, they told her its name, which was the "Passionate Kiss" and that it had been forged using Lightning Gems and Energy Crystals, which gave her superior agility and the ability to cast her attacks faster than before. Then, Haruka's Keyblade was the one to be examined. They told her that it was named "Mortal Blade", which had been forged using Dark Shards and Lightning Gems; a combination which gave the Keyblade's wielder the ability to use more powerful attacks. All that made Haruka feel even prouder of her Keyblade than before. Next, Michiru's Keybalde was examined. They told her that its name was the "Musical Symphony" and that had been forged by using Blizzard Gems and Twilight Shards, which allowed her to use stronger water attacks.

"Musical Symphony? What a beautiful name for such a weapon." –she thought to herself.

After Michiru, it was Setsuna's turn. Even though she was excited to know the details of her Keyblade, she kept her composure, and waited for them to tell her everything in due time. They told her that her Keyblade was called the "Time Sweeper", a name which she loved, and that had been forged using Dark Gems and Blizzard Crystals. It gave its wielder more stamina and velocity, not to mention a greater control of the powers of time. Then, it was Johnny's turn. His Keyblade was called the "Dark Necromancer" and had been forged Dark Crystals and Blizzard Crystals, similar to Setsuna's, but this one enabled its wielder to use more powerful ice attacks, as well as giving him much more strength. After him, it was Naru's turn. She was a little nervous, even though she did not know why. The Moogles told her that the name of her Keyblade was "Emerald Core", a suitable name for a Keyblade such as hers. It had been forged using Energy Crystals and Dark Shards, and it granted its wielder more strength and velocity. Hotaru was next. The Moogles had a hard time examining hers, probably because it was quite complex, and undoubtedly, one of the most powerful Keyblades that they had ever seen. After a while, they finally told her that the Keyblade's name was the "Grim Reaper", which suited her, since she was supposedly the Soldier of Chaos and Destruction. It looked like hers had been forged by using Dark Crystals and Dark Shards, which gave her more power and strength. Finally, it was George's turn. His Keyblade was named the "Razor's Edge", which had been forged by using Dark Shards and Twilight Gems, giving its wielder more agility and velocity.

They also gave the original Keyblde for the Moogles to examine, but these were not able to tell them anything regarding this particular one. The only thing they could tell them was that it had been forged by using unknown materials, and whoever had been able to forge it must have been a genius or a master when it came to create those weapons. After that was taken, the Moogles told the whole group that during their adventures, whenever they manage to collect enough items, they could take them to a Moogle in order to turn them into other objects, which would help them on their quest.

A couple of hours went by, when finally Cid reappeared, to tell them that the ship was good to go. He had been making a couple of modifications to the ship, which he thought were necessary.

"Well, I think that's that. I modified the navigational system so you guys don't have to worry about getting lost. Just point out the world that you want to visit and the ship will take you there." –Cid explained them. –"Plus, I've upgraded the weapons system. It still has a couple of bugs in it, but other than that, it's operational and ready to take on any kind of enemy that crosses your path out there."

"Cool." –Johnny said, as he checked out the control panel.

"Thank you ever so much, all of you. I don't know how to repay you for all that you did for us and for Chibiusa." –Usagi said.

"No need to thank us. We're happy to help anyone who's fighting the Heartless, and besides, you guys taught that old witch a lesson." –Yuffie said.

"You guys just take care of yourselves, and watch out for whatever comes your way." –Leon said. –"And remember, you're always welcomed back here."

"We'll remember that, you can bet that." –Haruka declared.

"Oh, and one more thing… If you guys have any more troubles with the Heartless, or, if you find anything that helps us in our quest, let us know, okay?" –Minako stated.

"Don't worry about that. If we find out anything that can help you, guys, we'll contact you through the radio." –Leon said.

After saying their goodbyes, everyone hoped aboard the Gummi Ship, and they started it. Since they were used to drive vehicles similar to that one, back at their home dimension, Johnny and George took the controls of the Gummi Ship. In a matter of minutes, they had left the gravitational field of that world, and were now floating in what looked like deep space. They all looked at the world they had left behind, and saw that this one had a curious shape, nothing like a planet, but something entirely different.

"Okay, we're good to go, everyone." –George said. –"My only question now is, where to?"

"I don't know. I mean, Yen Sid told us that there are numerous other worlds, but we don't know where they are." –Setsuna said.

"Why don't you check if this thing has a map or something that can help us, navigate through here?" –Ami suggested them.

"Good idea! Let's see if Cid put something like that in this giant central computer" –Johnny said, as he pressed countless buttons, looking for the right one. –"There's got be one around here."

"Just try and not push the auto-destruction button, okay?" –Haruka commented sarcastically.

"Very funny, ahahah, very funny…" –Johnny said.

Finally, he managed to find a map, where you could see the names of numerous worlds. All of them had different shapes, colors and sizes, not to mention that they all had rather curious names.

"Well, which one should we pick?" –Makoto asked out loud.

"Why don't we visit the ones that are nearer to us, and then proceed to the ones that are farther from us?" –Artemis suggested them.

"Good idea, Artemis." –Minako said. –"Well, then our first stop should be this one here." –She pointed in the holographic map.

"Wonderland? Funny name for a world." –Hotaru commented. –"I wonder what kind of world, will that one be?"

"Will soon find out, because that will be our next stop. Strap yourselves to your seats and enjoy the ride… oh, and thanks for choosing Air Sailor Scouts." –George said, causing everyone to laugh over the last sentence, as he activated the thrusters.

Unknown to them all, someone was watching their every move, and was getting ready to attack them, when they least expected.


	14. Bridge to Wonderland

Chapter 14: Bridge to Wonderland

Unknown to all of the Sailor Scouts, someone was watching them. And that someone, were actually several people. Somewhere inside a dark and spooky chamber, a group of sinister figures gathered around some kind of portal, created by the most powerful witch in the universe, Maleficent. They were eight, all different in aspect, but, their evilness was on the same level as the despicable and dastardly olive-skinned witch. By her left side, was a tall and bony man dressed in extravagant clothes. He was dressed in black robes that reached the ground overtop a red-violet garment with bell sleeves. Underneath that second garment, he was wearing yet another shirt, this one black with very close-fitting sleeves that reached his wrists. The shoulders of his outer robe were pointed and connected to a long, billowing black cape with a blood red interior. His shoes were brown and the tips curl inward. A red-violet sash was tied around his waist. He was also wearing an odd, light-coloured garment that covered his neck, the back of his head, and his chest. He had a twisted, black goatee and a faint moustache, as well as grey eyeliner. He also sported a distinctive black headdress, seemingly a type of mitre, with a thin, yellow pattern, wrapped around the middle, what seemed to be a ruby set in the front, and a bright red feather placed just above it. More red-violet cloth hanged from the mitre, draping over his shoulders. He was also carrying a gold, ruby-eyed cobra sceptre on his left hand, while on his right shoulder rested a red plump parrot, being his tail and the tips of the first four feathers on each wing the exception, which were blue. These were Jafar, Agrabah's grand-vizier, and his parrot, Iago.

By their right side was yet another villain, this one being an obese cecaelia, a mythical being with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of an octopus, with lavender skin. The top side of her octopus half was pitch-black and reached up over her chest, resembling a shoulder less, backless gown. The underside was a bright violet colour, while her short hair was stark white with a few grey streaks that stands on end. She also sported a widow's peak hairline. She wore various forms of make-up, including purple nail polish on her pointed nails, light blue eyeliner, dark purple eye shadow, bright red lipstick, and seemingly pencilled-on black eyebrows, not to mention a small beauty mark near her chin on the left side of her face, as well as a yellow spiral shell necklace on a thin black cord, and two violet, thinner spiral shells as earrings, one on each ear. She was Ursula, the sea-witch.

On her left side was a man with blue skin and blue flaming "hair". His eyes were completely yellow, except for his black pupils. He had very sharp teeth and an unnatural black mouth. His face was quite long and thin, with his chin jutting out abruptly. His fingers were long, thin, and clawed. He was wearing what appeared to be a dark grey shirt underneath a black toga, the latter of which seems to be held up by a small skull pin on his right shoulder. He was Hades, God of the Dead and Lord and Master of the Underworld.

On his left side was a tall, slender man with pale skin and black short hair, though he had a few grey hairs on his temples and a black goatee. He was dressed in an ash-grey suit, white shirt, black tie and black shoes. At first sight, you would think that he was just a bank manager or perhaps an executive. But if you looked into his face, you would see his most distinctive mark; his right eye, which was a green eye, was shaped like the eye of a feline. He had a menacing grin, which gave the creeps to anyone who looked at him, when he was smiling, all because of his razor-sharp teeth. He was Dr. Calico, one of the most devious and evilest beings that ever existed, as well as a calculating man, who's only goal was world domination.

On Maleficent's right side there was a creature quite rotund with stumpy legs and fingerless arms, covered from head to toe in a grey burlap sack, and an obvious seam along the sides. His eyes and mouth were featureless black holes, while the tip of his head extended outward and flopped down. He was Oogie Boogie, the meanest and most dangerous creature of Halloween Town.

By his left side, there was a thin man with curly, black, shoulder-length hair that draped over his shoulders, a large, hooked nose, a thin, black moustache that angled upward sharply, and a large chin. He was dressed in a frilly, white shirt underneath a red coat with gold lining and maroon cuffs. Each of those cuffs sported two yellow buttons. He also wore an orange sash over his right shoulder that held his sword scabbard at his left hip. On top of that, he was wearing maroon pants and white, knee-high socks, as well as black shoes with a pink circle decorating each one. The tongues of his shoes were enormous, reaching halfway up his shins. On the top of his head, he was wearing a large, maroon hat with a huge, white feather stuck in it. He carried a rapier with a gold handle and guard as a weapon. But the most distinctive feature of this man was the fact that instead of having a left hand, he sported a hook. He was none other than the infamous Captain James Hook, the most feared pirate in all seven-seas, or at least that is how he entitled himself.

And last, but not the least, to Hook' left was an icily beautiful woman with a serene and unfeeling face and a slender figure. She was pale-skinned with green eyes, red lipstick, and seemingly penciled-on eyebrows. She was wearing a purple gown with long sleeves and a rope belt tied around her waist, as well as a black balaclava that covered her ears, neck, and raven hair, leaving her face exposed. She also wore a long black cloak that appeared to be part of the cowl. The cloak was lined with red inside and the bottom of the cloak was lined with white fur. She also had a high white collar attached to her cloak. On top of that, she wore a golden pendant that seemed to connect with the collar. Atop of her head, she was wearing a golden crown with five spikes on the front and a jewel on the tip of the middle and tallest spike. She was Queen Grimhilde.

"So, you're saying that you managed to get rid of those scurvy kids, and the king's fellow companions, but the Keyblade managed to find another wielder… that wretched girl, and her friends?" –Captain Hook asked, as he visualized Usagi and the rest of the Sailor Scouts in the portal.

"I'm afraid so. I shouldn't have, but I underestimated the power of the Keyblade. I thought that by removing that wretched Sora and his friends from the time flux stream would give us the opportunity to open Kingdom Hearts without any kind of interference, but it seems that the Keyblade had other plans."

"And can't you just make them disappear from the time flux stream just like you did with those show-offs?" –Oogie Boogie asked her.

"I don't think your careless brain understands what I'm saying, Oogie Boogie. If I did that, the Keyblade would simply find another wielder, and then we would be back at square one. The only thing I can occur right now is to go on with our plans, and leave them to the Heartless. They'll make sure that they stay busy enough for us to conquer every world, and believe me when I say that this time we will succeed." –Maleficent said.

"So, you mean that in the meantime, we'll just leave those pipsqueaks to walk around wherever they want?" –Ursula asked.

"I'm afraid that's the only thing we can do for now. Still, there is one thing that none of us remembered so far… it's not these kids who represent the danger; it's their Keyblades. If we find a way to prevent the Keyblade from choosing anyone to be its new bearer, then nothing will stop us from achieving our goal" –Queen Grimhilde explained.

"I don't think such a group will pose any treat to us or to my organization." –Dr. Calico said with a polished tone. –"I have experience when it comes to handle such threats… they will be exceedingly easy to dispose off, I can assure you. If the Heartless fail to accomplish that, my troops will make sure that that happens."

"Come on, people, right now we can't loose our temper with these things. We got more important things to worry about… they're just a bunch of chicks and guys who happen to have a little luck until now. Let's just do what Maleficent is saying, leave them for now and then, if we find a way to get rid of them permanently, we'll show them no mercy." –Hades said with his calm and usual voice.

"Show them no mercy? Hahahah, I like your style, Hades." –Oogie Boogie declared.

"What can I say, I'm the hottest guy in the Underworld, get it? The hottest guy…" –he laughed, as he pointed to his flaming hair.

As everyone talked among themselves, Jafar stood still, with only Iago, his parrot, talking with him.

"Do you believe these guys, Jafar? I mean, we already had enough trouble with Sora and the rest of the brats last time, and now we have to worry about these new ones? I hope you have a good idea, because I…" –Iago exclaimed, when Jafar shut his beak with his fingers, preventing him from talking.

"Yes, I'm afraid you may be right about it, Iago. These new brats will certainly become a thorn on our side, even though some of us think the opposite. But believe me when I say, that this time I'll be ready to deal with them." –Jafar told him, with a calm and serene voice. –"They won't even know what hit them, when I'm through with them."

At the same time, aboard the Highwind, the Sailor Scouts continued their voyage to the strange new world that headed into. The ship was incredibly spacious and comfortable in almost every way, but the trip was taking too long for them. In fact, it did not take long for them to get bored.

"This is taking too long… Can't we go any faster?" –Usagi cried to Johnny, who was piloting the ship.

"Don't you think that if there was a way to go faster I wouldn't have found it by now, Usagi?" –Johnny asked her. –"This is the fastest this ship can go. Why don't you go and take a look around the ship, maybe you'll find something that amuses you… you don't have to stay here in the cockpit with me and George, you know?"

"Maybe you're right. I'll go and take a look."

Following Johnny's advice, Usagi want to take a look around the ship. She quickly found Ami coming out of a room, with a stack of books in her hands, all of them huge books… Usagi always knew that Ami was the kind of girl who read huge books. Heck, she would read a whole encyclopaedia if anyone asked her. But she never thought that she would try and read anything while on this adventure.

"Hey, Ami!" –Usagi exclaimed.

"Oh, hi, Usagi." –she said.

"Where did you get all of those books?" –Usagi asked her, while she walked over to her.

"Over here. The ship has a huge library, with books on almost very subject, so I decided that it would be best if I could find out any information regarding our enemies… lucky for me, there are a few books on the matter." –Ami explained. –"Why don't you go check it out? Maybe you'll find something that you like. Haruka and Michiru are also inside reading something."

"Hmm… No, I guess I'll pass. You know that reading it's not really my thing. Tell me, have you seen the rest of the gang?" –Usagi asked her.

"Well I think Makoto was on lower deck with Rei and Minako, as well as Luna and Artemis. Chibiusa and Hotaru were here at the library a while ago, and I haven't seen them since, and Naru… well, I haven't seen Naru since we boarded the ship." –Ami said. –"I'm going to the cockpit, and see if George or Johnny need any help. Coming?"

"Oh, no, I just came from there. I'll go check on the others… catch you later." –Usagi said.

Walking through the ship's white corridors, her footsteps echoes in the air as she walked by them. Following the distant sound, she soon found Makoto, Rei and Minako. Makoto had found some kind of video arcade machine and was going for the highest score, while Minako and Rei cheered for her. At the same time, Hotaru and Chibiusa were seated in a couch, not far from the others, reading a book together. From where she was, Usagi could not see what the book was about, but from the way both of them were laughing, she assumed that it was a book about something funny.

"Come on, jump!" –Minako said.

"I'm trying, but the enemies are too fast for me!" –Makoto said.

"Hurry, here comes another wave!" –Rei warned her. Unfortunately, it was too late and Makoto lost. She screamed on top of her lungs, as the words "Game Over" appeared on the screen.

"Drat! I can't believe it… Okay, two out of three!" –Makoto said, as she pushed the button to begin a new game.

Usagi smiled seeing her friends having fun. Even knowing that they all faced a dangerous and still unknown enemy, they still managed to laugh and cheer. And that, that gave Usagi hope that everything would turn out okay in the end. All of a sudden, she felt something rubbing against her leg. She looked sown, and saw that it was Luna and Artemis.

"Hey, so what are you two doing?" –Usagi kneeled, petting both cats.

"Nothing. We had to get out of there before they killed us." –Luna said.

"Indeed, Minako almost strangled me, when she lost the first round." –Artemis stated.

"Yeah, she can't control her strength sometimes, especially when she gets mad." –Usagi said. –"Tell me, have you seen Naru?"

I thin she was on the observatory deck; up there. Why do you ask, Usagi?" –Luna asked her.

"No special reason at all. I just want to see if she's alright… after all, unlike the rest of us, she's not used to this. She did not even know that she was Sailor Earth, until that attack of the Heartless back at our world."

"Indeed… Maybe you should really talk with her and make sure she's taking all of this right." –Artemis said. –"The last thing we need now, is for one of us to become confuse about their mission.

"You're right, I should go and talk with her." –Usagi said. –You said she's in the observatory deck, right?"

That said, Usagi headed to the observatory deck, to talk with Naru. When she got there, she saw that Naru was leaned against the glass dome, looking at the immense stars and what seemed like constellations in space. She had a little smile on her lips, and you could see that she was thinking about something happy. The fact of have been her best friend for so long, Usagi knew her too well.

"Hey, Naru!" –Usagi called, but Naru did not answer her. –"Naru! Earth to Naru, Earth to Naru… Are you there?"

"Oh… it's you, Usagi. Sorry, my head was a million miles away. " –Naru said.

"I noticed. Do you mind if I sit here with you?" –Usagi asked her.

"Sure, be my guest." –Naru answered, as Usagi sat a couple of feet from her.

"So… what's on your mind right now?" –the blonde asked her.

"Oh, nothing… I mean, I was just thinking about how many times you saved my life ever since you became Sailor Moon." –Naru said.

"I still remember those early days, too, you know? Things were so less complicated back then. We had so little to worry about."

"Yeah, the way you managed to always arrive late at class, and how Miss Sakurada punished you, by giving you detention." –Naru laughed.

"Indeed… You know, I never knew what happened to her after we left Juuban Municipal Junior High School."

"Oh, that I think I can answer, Usagi. She ended up marrying a man she met when she was on vacation in Yokohama, and she still teaches at our old school. She happens to visit me and my mom at the jewellery. She wonders if you're still the same girl that you were a couple of years ago, always arriving late at class, eating when you're not supposed to… In a way, I think she misses you." –Naru said.

"Well, she could be a little mean to me sometimes, but, I actually liked her a lot. When we get back, I have to pay her a visit." –Usagi declared.

"I believe that she'll be very happy about it." –Naru said. –"But, that's not why you are here, is it, Usagi? You're here because of something else, am I right?"

"Well…" –Usagi hesitated.

"Don't pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about, Usagi. I know you too well for you to keep anything from me." –she chuckled. –"Come on, tell me, what is that you want to talk with me?"

"Well, it's because of the fact that you're not used to all of this, like all of us are. After all, you were awakened from your sleep as Sailor Earth recently, and well, I understand that you might be confused with all of this." –Usagi said.

"You want to know if I'm alright, is that it?" –Naru asked her friend, to which she nodded with her head. –"I'm alright, Usagi. I'm stronger than most people think, and besides, having you and everyone by my side, it certainly makes me feel safer. What about you, are you alright?"

Usagi took a moment to think about it. Ever since that all started, she had not a moment to think about that matter. Then, she took a deep breath and said:

"I don't know… I mean, I must be strong, because everyone depends on me for guidance, but I'm really scared. I'm scared because I don't know what awaits us in this new journey of ours… and worst of all, I miss him… I miss Mamoru…" –Usagi said, as a tear rolled down hr cheek. –"I can't help but think about him, and where will he be, right now."

"Don't worry; I'm sure he's fine, wherever he is. The prince is a talented warrior, and besides, he can take care of himself." –Naru said. –"You'll see, we'll eventually find him. But right now, what you need is to focus on your mission, which is to guide everyone. You need to be strong… just like you have been."

"How do you even know that I was strong all this time?" –Usagi asked her.

"Because if you hadn't, you wouldn't been able to save the world countless times from the forces of evil… and just so you know it, yes, I'm aware of everything that happened while I was "sleeping", thanks to the link that I have with Prince Endimion. His memories have become mine, you know?"

"Then… you know bout all our confrontations… Queen Beryl, Queen Metalia, Alan and Ann, the Black Moon Clan, the Witches 5, Pharaoh 90, Amazon Quartet, Queen Nehelenia, Sailor Galaxy, and well, the rest…"

"Yes… and I know that you needed all the courage you needed to face them. You're very brave, even if you don't admit it, and I think that…" –Naru said, when she was interrupted by a shaking. –"What was that?"

"I don't know, but I bet all the cookies you can eat that Johnny and George know what's going on… come on!" –Usagi said, as she grabbed Naru by her wrist and guided her through he corridors, back to the ship's bridge.

When they got to the bridge, everyone was already there. The amount of noise was practically infernal. The buttons in the panels were all buzzing and beeping. It was total chaos.

"What happened?" –Usagi asked.

"We were hit, that's what happened!" –Johnny answered her.

"But, were we hit by what?" –Rei asked him.

"We don't know yet, and that's what we're trying to figure out, as in now." –George said.

"I think I know what hit us… it was that!" –Hotaru exclaimed, pointing something out of the window.

Everyone looked to where she was pointing, and they all saw some kind of ship outside. Then, they saw another one, and then another one… in a matter of five seconds, about twenty ships, from about a quarter the size of the Highwind, surrounded it. And the worst part about that, was the fact that they had the emblem of the Heartless stamped on them, and that they were about to use the Highwing for target practice.

"They're going to blast us into smithereens!" –Minako panicked.

"Not yet, they won't. Our shield will make sure that we won't get blasted just yet. But we have to find a way to counter attack them, because the shield won't last forever, and those guys look like they want to make mincemeat out of our ship." –Johnny said. –"Take the controls, George, while I try and find something for us to shoot back. Try to evade them."

"Roger that!" –George said, as he took over the controls of the ship.

"What do you want us to do?" –Michiru asked.

"Yeah, give us something to do!" –Haruka exclaimed, impatiently. Everyone knew that she was never the kind of person to stand still when on a dangerous situation.

"If you want to do something, help me find either an instruction booklet that tells me how to activate the ship's weapons system… there has to be one around here! Or if you prefer, find the weapon system itself. Cid told us that the sip had a really powerful weapon system. All we have to do is find it… Everyone, start looking for either the booklet or for the button that activates the weapons! –Johnny ordered them all.

Obeying his orders, everyone started pressing every button they saw. At the same time, George did his best, manoeuvring the ship from starboard to portside, avoiding most of the lasers shot from the Heartless ships.

"Hurry up, finding that weapon system! These guys are starting to annoy me!" –George warned them all.

"A little patience, please…" –Setsuna said, as she pressed one of the buttons on the panel.

"I wonder what this does." –Chibiusa said, as she pushed a big green button, only to find out that when someone pressed that button, a little robot would appear and would serve a cappuccino. –"This is definitely not what we're looking for."

Makoto did her best, looking for an instruction booklet that would help them. Unfortunately, she was not having any luck at it. Minako decided to help her out. Setsuna and Hotaru were busy pressing every button that they could find.

"Maybe it's not just one button, guys. Maybe it follows a partner, where we have to push multiple buttons in order to activate the weapon system." –Ami said.

"Hope not. If that happens to be true, we'll take years just to figure out the pattern." –Naru said.

"Well, there is another option…" –Ami said.

"What? Tell us, there's not time to lose!" –Johnny insisted.

"What if the weapon system is voice activated? I mean, being so important, it would have to be made so anyone could control it, without needing to use any buttons." –Ami explained.

"Maybe she's right…" –Setsuna said. –"Why don't we try it?"

"Okay, let's try it… Activate weapon system!" –Johnny shouted, when all of a sudden, the ship's computer beeped, and an attack grid appeared in front of their eyes. –"Okay, now that's better! Fire a 21 guns salute against the enemy ships!"

With the order given, the ship's computer targeted the Heartless ships, and fired against, quickly taking them out of the sky. Once again, they managed to eradicate yet another menace.

"Wow! What a rush!" –George said, exhausted from all that commotion.

"You can say that again! There's nothing better than a rush of adrenaline pumping through our veins and heart, to make you feel alive!" –Johnny exclaimed, as he got back to his seat.

"We were really lucky this time." –Artemis said. –"We better prepare ourselves for future encounters with those things."

"I'm afraid he's right. Next time, we may not be so lucky." –Luna concurred.

"Yes, we must be ready. A good soldier is always prepared to face any kind of danger, on any occasion and on any circumstance." –Setsuna declared.

"Agreed." –Johnny said as he got out of his chair. –"We'll have to find a way to know every system of this ship, even if it kills us…"

Tripping over something, Johnny fell on his face onto the floor. Everyone gathered around him, to see if he was alright. Turns out he was fine. And that was not all. He saw something underneath one of the chairs. He reached his arm for it, and grabbed it. It had a red cover with something written in it, it was all dusty and a little crumpled, but you could definitely see what it was. It was the ship's instruction booklet, where it explained how every system on the ship worked.

"Figures… When you're looking for something, you can't find it. But when you're not looking for it, then you find it." –he said as he studied the booklet's content.

"We all better start studying what's written in there, so we can operate this ship more easily." –Rei said when the alarm went off again. –"Now what? Don't tell me that we're being attacked again!"

"Nope, we're not under attack, Rei. The alarm was just telling us that we have arrived to our destination." –George explained. –"Look at that… it's Wonderland!"

In front of them, was a new world. This one was shaped like a heart, and it was all red and pink. Chibiusa giggled, while looking at it.

"It looks like a heart-shaped lollypop." –Chibiusa kept giggling. –"I wonder how the inhabitants of this world look like?"

"There's only one way to find out, Small Lady… we'll have to go there." –Setsuna answered her.

"There's only one problem with that… we can't land this ship. Looks like Cid forgot to put on a landing gear on it." –Johnny stated, as he read through the instruction booklet.

"So… how are we going to get there?" –Hotaru asked.


	15. Down the Rabbit's Hole

Chapter 15: Down the Rabbit's Hole

Studying the ship's instruction booklet, Johnny attempted to find a solution to the problem they had… how to visit a world, without landing the Highwind. Time went by, and he still had not found anything that could help them. To say that everyone grew impatient by the minute was little, which bothered Johnny even more, because he did not like feel under that kind of pressure or stress.

"So, have you found anything?" –Rei asked him, as he paced through the cockpit, reading the booklet.

"No, and stop asking me that. It's the fourth time you ask me that question in five minutes…" –Johnny replied. –"Asking me that, won't help me finding the information we need faster, believe me."

He continued to read, when he finally found something that might be just what they needed to know. He read the paragraph as fast as he could and then said:

"Hmm… interesting… According to this, there is in this ship a room which possesses some kind of teleportation device. I think we could use it to our benefit. All we have to do is find that room." –Johnny declared.

"Then, let's not waste another minute. That world might have been invaded by the Heartless already... if so, we have to help its inhabitants." –Ami said as she looked through the glass canopy, contemplating the strange new world that was in front of them. –"Computer, where is the room with the teleportation device?"

"The room which you are seeking is on Deck D, sub section 3." –the computer said, at the same time in one of the monitors a map was traced, using the ship«s schematics.

Following the path given by the ship's computer, they managed to find the room they were looking for. The room was completely white. In fact, you could almost say that was similar to the TV Room, from the movie "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". As they stepped into the room, they all felt that the air was rather chilly, almost frozen. Everyone felt as if they were inside a huge freezer.

"So, how do we use this?" –Haruka asked, as she looked around the room.

"Don't know… But, I suppose we have to use that sort of tube." –Ami said, pointing to the huge glass tube that existed in the middle of the room.

They all approached it, not knowing what to do exactly. Observing it, they concluded that glass tube was probably the teleportation device. But how they were going to use it was a problem. It did not have any buttons or any sort of thing to start it. Puzzled, they asked the ship's computer for help.

"Computer, how do we start the teleportation device?" –Usagi asked.

"To use the teleportation device, simply touch it, introduce the coordinates in the teleportation device and enter in it. To come back to the ship, just press the blue gem in these bracelets once." –the computer said, at the same light a light appeared on the floor, to reveal a hidden compartment, where there were many bracelets. These looked like ordinary metal bracelets, with a blue gem incrusted on them. Each one of them picked one of the bracelets and slipped in on their right wrist.

Then, they touched the glass and as if by magic, a bunch of holograms appeared floating around the glass. Most of them displayed what could be called Matrix codes, while others displayed images of several different worlds. Feeling curious Chibiusa touched one of the window screens and in a microsecond, multiple smaller window screens with information of that world. Looking for the world of Wonderland in the holograms, they eventually found it. Touching it, the same thing that had happened when Chibiusa had touched the window screen happened.

"Interesting information… so, shall we go?" –Rei asked.

A little anxious, one by one, all of the Sailor Scouts entered the teleport device. The way the teleportation process worked was curious to say the least. They felt that their bodies were being dismembered limb by limb, then, they felt like they were being swirled inside a huge blender. After that, everything just went white, and when they opened their eyes again, they were somewhere else.

"W-Where are we?" –Rei asked with a bleary voice, as she looked around.

"I don't know… but one thing is for certain, we're not aboard the ship anymore." –Makoto said, also with a bleary voice.

"Which means that the teleporting device worked…" –Haruka said.

"No kidding, Sherlock?" –Johnny grumbled, as he made everything in his power not to throw up. –"Am I the only one who's feeling a little nauseated after this crazy trip?"

"No, you're not. I'm also not feeling quite myself now." –Usagi said, as she counted her fingers, fearing that she might have lost one of them during the teleportation. –"Nope, they are all here." –she thought to herself.

"Is everyone here?" –Artemis asked, as he looked for Luna, who was a few feet from him, still unconscious.

"Let me see…" –George said, as he looked around, counting the ones he saw. –"… yeah, I guess we're all accounted for."

"I think it's safe to assume that we were teleported to the world that is called Wonderland." –Minako said. –"But I don't know why it's called Wonderland. It doesn't look that wonderful to me."

Minako was right. That place did not look that wonderful. The only thing that existed around them was trees…Trees and more trees. It looked like they were in the middle of a wood or a forest perhaps. The grass was emerald green and it covered most of the ground, existing very few spots were there was not an inch of grass. It was a magnificent forest, no doubt about it, but it looked like so many forest that existed back on their home world. A stream with crystal water was running not far from where they appeared. In its bottom, there were countless beautiful grey pebbles, and you could see a couple of blue birds chirping happily, while bathing in the crystal waters.

"True. All these trees don't look so wonderful to me. But then again, I was always a city lover." –Johnny said.

"I hate to agree with him, but he's right. The only things I see around here are trees and… Is that a rabbit wearing a jacket?" –Haruka pointed out.

Everyone looked to where the tomboyish Sailor Scout was pointing to, and at first they thought it was just a joke, but then, they also could not believe their own eyes. A white rabbit with a large red nose, short ears and bright pink eyes… He was wearing spectacles, grey pants with a hole in the back for his tail, and a red over-coat and bow tie, worn over an orange button-up shirt with a white collar.wearing, and was holding in his left hand a golden pocket watch as big as his head, with a golden chain attached to it. Of all the strange things they were expecting to see on their journey, that one was clearly was not one of them.

"Oh, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! The Queen will have my head for this!" –he said, as he hopped through the middle of the grass.

"Now there's something you don't see everyday… a rabbit who dresses like a person and talks like one too." –Rei said, as she looked at the rabbit jumping for his life, heading deeper into the forest.

"I don't know about you, but I'm following that rabbit." –Chibiusa said, as she started running after him.

"Wait for me, Chibiusa!" –Hotaru said, as she raced after her best friend, trying to catch up to her.

"Hey, don't leave us here! Wait for us!" –Makoto yelled at them, as she and the rest of the Sailor Scouts tried their best not to let them out of their sight.

Since the rabbit would not stop, Chibiusa tried to call him. Maybe that way, he would stop. She was certain that he might help them by giving them some information about the world itself. But more importantly, to ask him if there were any sign of the Heartless in that world, of if he knew anything about Sora and his companions, or King Mickey for that matter.

"Mr. Rabbit, please! Could you slow down a little bit? We have some questions to ask you!" –Chibiusa said.

"I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date. No time to say "Hello.", "Goodbye". I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" –he said as he kept running between the trees.

"He's a fast runner!" –Michiru said, as she ran side by side with Haruka.

"What did you expect? He's a rabbit, and rabbits are fast runners. Otherwise, they would get caught by every single fox, wolf, or whatever carnivore that tried to catch them for supper." –George said.

"Why don't you stop talking about those things and save your breath? If that rabbit doesn't stop soon, we're all going to need every bit of air just to keep up with him." –Setsuna stated the obvious.

Finally, the white rabbit arrived at a tree which had a rabbit hole in it. He quickly entered in it, and disappeared. Determined to get a couple of answers, Chibiusa and Hotaru, who were the first to get there, decided to go after him. Since the hole was big enough for either one of the girls, they entered it, followed by Luna and Artemis. Chibiusa went first, but as soon as she got inside the rabbit hole she falls into what seemed to her like a huge well. Hearing her friend screaming, Hotaru entered in the rabbit hole, only to suffer the same fate. Luna and Artemis also followed her, but were luckier and did not fall through the huge well-like hole.

"Hotaru! Chibiusa!" –Artemis yelled, as he looked down, only to see Hotaru disappear into the darkness.

The rest of the Sailor Scouts arrived to the site soon after. They looked around, looking for either the White Rabbit and the Chibiusa and Hotaru. Luna and Artemis hearng them quickly appeared from inside the rabbit hole.

"Where are Hotaru and Small Lady?" –Setsuna asked both cats.

"They went through the rabbit hole in pursuit of that rabbit. Beneath this mount of dirt there's a huge whole that resembles a well, and they fell through it." –Luna said.

"Then, what are we waiting for? We have to save them. God knows where that hole leads to." –Usagi said, trying not to panic.

"But the hole is too small for us. Chibiusa and Hotaru managed to get in it because they're smaller than us, but we won't be able to fit in." –Makoto stated.

"Not a problem. Everyone step away from the rabbit hole." –Johnny warned them, as he made his Keyblade appear in his hand.

"What are you going to do?" –Rei asked him, not understanding what he had up his sleeve.

"What do you think I'm going to do? I'm going to blast this rabbit hole, so I can make it big enough for us to fit in." –he said, as he pointed the Keyblade. With a quick move he used one of his attacks to blow up a whole. –"Charon Explosion!"

The blast sent pieces of rock and dirt flying into every direction. There was a cloud of dirt and powder in the place where the small rabbit hole was just a couple of seconds earlier. When the cloud finally disappeared, they all saw that there was a huge hole on the ground, big enough for them to go through in search of their friends and the rabbit.

"Well, ladies first…" –Johnny said, as he let Usagi and the rest of the girls pass.

"You're such a gentleman…" –Haruka mocked sarcastically, as she followed the others.

Not exactly knowing what would happen next, one by one, they all jumped into the hole. Usagi went first. She closed her eyes as she jumped into the unknown. She felt herself falling at an incredible speed. Her body began to twirl while in midair, making her feel a little nauseous. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw the strangest things. The sides of that well were filled with the most amazing objects. For example, there were book helves crammed with books of all sorts; cupboards filled with the most amazing objects, like jars of jam, knives and forks, little ragdolls… There were also huge mirrors on both sides.

"What an interesting place… I wonder how many miles have I must have fallen by now?" –Usagi thought to herself.

When she almost hit a rocking-chair that was in her way, she looked up and saw Rei and the others, all falling down after her. They ended up in a heap of sticks and dry leaves. Thanks to their new abilities, they landed on their feet without making much effort. A couple of feet from where they all landed were Chibiusa and Hotaru, who looked perfectly well, without a single scratch.

"Are you girls alright?" –Naru asked both Hotaru and Chibiusa.

"We're fine; why do you ask?" –Chibiusa stated.

"Well, after we saw you falling down that well, we thought that you might have been in trouble." –Luna said.

"Oh, don't worry, were both fine. The fall was actually funny; it felt like we were in a carnival ride." –Hotaru declared.

"Well, now that we know that you're alright, I have two questions… where are we, and where did that rabbit go?" –George asked them.

"The white rabbit disappeared. When we got here he wasn't here anymore, and as for where we are, I don't have the sightless idea." –Chibiusa said, as all of the others started to look around.

"What is this place?" –Naru asked out loud.

"I don't know, but one thing is certain, it looks very pretty and funny." –Minako said, as she noticed the walls on that seemingly strange room.

Indeed the room looked pretty and funny. The whole place looked like something pulled out of a dream sequence, or something of that kind. The walls were made out of red bricks, making it look like the inside of an oven. In them, there were many mirrors; some of them as small as a pocket mirror, while others were as tall as the mirrors that you only see in palaces and reception halls of fancy hotels. Plus, there were multiple paintings hanging in the walls. Some of them were portraits, while others looked like something painted by a cubist artist. The floor looked like it had a huge spiral stamped on it. But from all strange things, the way the place was illuminated was the strangest, because there were no windows, lamps or torches to light the place. Still, it was as clear as if they were outside.

"I've seen crazy things over the years, but this place takes the 1st place." –George said.

"Hmmm… guys, I'm afraid I know why this place looks like this." –Ami said.

"What do you mean, Ami?" –Rei asked her.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, but, I think I know why this world is called "Wonderland"; I think it's because somehow, this world is modelled after Lewis Carroll's book _Alice in Wonderland_." –Ami answered.

Nobody spoke for what looked like an eternity. Ami's explanation looked a bit strange to say the least. Usually she would come up with a reasonable explanation, but this time, there seemed to be none. That was the best she could come up with on such short notice. No one wanted to say that that explanation was a little farfetched, not to mention crazy, but then again, they all had seen their share of strange places and things during their adventures, and nothing they had seen was as bizarre as what they just had experienced.

"But, why do you think that?" –Makoto asked Ami, breaking the wall of silence that had been formed.

"Well, we are pursuing a white talking rabbit, who so happens to be able to talk like a human being; we went through a rabbit hole, and fell down a well where we saw things that are impossible to see inside a well… it all fits. It's as if we're retracing what happened to Alice in the book." –the blue haired Sailor Scout explained.

"It's entirely possible. Let's say that we are in a world such as the one you just told us; what happens now?" –Minako asked Ami.

"Well, we don't have much choice but to follow the white rabbit, just like Alice did. Who knows, maybe we end up finding Alice on our way." –Ami answered, not entirely sure that that would be the best course of action.

"Bearing in mind that in the book she was the only character that did make sense in that strange world that was Wonderland, she might be the only one who can answer our questions." –Johnny said.

"Maybe, but then again, all of the characters in the book weren't that crazy, you know? All of them were right in their own away about something." –Setsuna said.

"I personally don't agree with that, but whatever." –Johnny said.

"So, where should we go now?" –Makoto asked.

The answer was obvious. They had to follow a small corridor, which led them out of there. This one ended abruptly in a long, low hall, which was lit up by a row of lamps hanging from the roof. The only way out of it was a door. They turned the door's knob, and easily exited, only to find themselves in an even stranger place than before. This time they were in a room which had its walls covered with pink wallpaper and tilted bright red and light pink floor. The furniture looked odd, many of it being bunny-shaped. In the middle there was a three-legged steel table, and next to it a chair.

"This place just keeps getting stranger and stranger by the minute. Now what do we do?" –Rei asked.

"We have to keep moving… I'm hearing the White Rabbit, so that means he's close." –Usagi said.

"But where did he go from here? There's no exit from this room." –Luna said, as she jumped on to the three-legged table.

"I think I have the solution to that problem." –Hotaru said, as she kneeled down and pointed to something behind a small red velvet curtain. –"Look at this."

The Soldier of Silence was pointing to a small red door with a golden doorknob. It was even smaller than a doggy-door.

"And, how are we supposed to fit through there?" –George asked her. –"Not even Luna and Artemis will fit through it."

"I can always blast it, just as I did with the rabbit hole." –Johnny suggested it.

"No, it's too dangerous… we don't know how that might affect this place." –Naru warned him.

"First, let's see where it leads to. I'm going to try and open it, and I'll peak inside to see what's on the other side." –Hotaru said.

She tried to turn the knob, but when she tried to, a pair eyes appeared over the doorknob, and this one yelled, catching them all by surprise.

"Ouch!" –the Doorknob yelled in pain.

"Oh my, sorry." –Hotaru said.

"T-That's okay, my dear. I'm actually used to that happening. After all, I'm a door." –the Doorknob said, while giving a great yawn.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I thought that you were a door… I mean, a regular door." –the purple-haired girl said, excusing herself.

"Well, as you see, I'm no ordinary door." –the Doorknob said defensively. –"Either way, I suppose that you want to pass to the other side, am I right?"

"Yes, sir, we want to. We're following the White Rabbit." –Usagi answered, while

"Oh, him again… I say, that rabbit sure has a lot of admirers." –The Doorknob stated.

"What do you mean by that?" –Johnny asked the Doorknob.

"Well, you're not the first ones to come through here looking for him, you know? There is that little blonde girl named Alice, who came by here also looking for him." –the Doorknob answered.

Hearing that, they all found out that they were on the right track. There was only a little problem, to which Michiru posed a question.

"Still, how do we enter through you? You're too small for us to pass through." –Michiru asked.

"Well, actually you are the ones who are too big… but don't worry, there is a way you can shrink until you are the right size. Why don't you try and drink what's in that glass bottle." –the Doorknob suggested.

They all looked to the table, but saw nothing. Then all of a sudden, a glass bottle with a small tag appeared a few inches from where Luna was laid. They all got closer and looked at the bottle, taking in special attention the little tag that was wrapped around it, which said "Drink Me". For those who knew the story of the book, it was like seeing a ghost or a spook.

"Drink Me? What's in it? –Artemis asked, because he did not know the story, and of course, did not know what the potion was supposed to do.

"It's called Pishsalver. It's a potion that makes you shrink. But I warn you, you mustn't drink more than a tea spoon of it, or you'll shrink to the size of an ant, and you don't want that, now do you?"

Hearing that warning, almost everyone trembled all over with fear. Still, they knew that if they wanted to find out if there were any Heartless in this world, they had to inspect it, and more importantly, they had to follow the White Rabbit to find Alice. Everyone took a little sip from the bottle, and started to feel the effects right away. The strange translucent liquid had a different taste to every single one of them. To Usagi, the potion tasted like sweet potatoes, while to Ami it tasted like tuna sandwiches, and to Rei it tasted like sushi. As for Makoto, the potion tasted like cherry tart, and to Minako it tasted like whipped cream. To Haruka it tasted like pineapple, as for Michiru, the potion tasted like grilled tomatoes with oreganos In Setsuna's case, the potion tasted like orange jam, and Hotaru felt that the potion tasted like lemonade. To Naru, it tasted like blueberry pie. Finally, the potion tasted like French fries to Johnny, and like chocolate ice-cream in George's case. The potion tasted like fish to both Luna and Artemis. Slowly and steadily, they all began to shrink, until they were the right size to fit through the door.

"Well? Are we small enough to fit through you?" –Chibiusa asked the Doorknob.

"Indeed you are, and I shall be glad to open up for you."

But when they were about to get ready to go through the door, a dark creature appeared in front of them, and then another one, and another one… Heartless, a whole swarm of Heartless appeared out of nowhere and was now blocking their way.

"Heartless!" –Hotaru exclaimed.

"Finally, some action!" –Haruka declared, as she made her Keyblade appear in her hand.

Everyone mimicked Haruka. In a matter of a split second, they were armed with their Keyblades and ready to fight. This time, Usagi decided to use her new Keyblade, The Crescent Moon, to see how she wielded it battle.

"Okay, let's see what the Informants say about these new guys. " –Rei said, as she turned on her Informant. –"We got Shadows and Soldiers, and there are two new kinds of Heartless, the Crescendo and the Creeper Plant."

The Crescendos were Heartless that looked similar to a vehicle horn, the round, black body resembling a squeeze bulb, while its golden mouth resembled the bell of an instrumental horn. Their black head and antenna resembled a musical note, notably a quaver or an eighth note. A red collar separated the head and body. Two yellow eyes could be seen on their faces, and they seemed to be wearing earmuffs on their heads, which were light and dark blue in colour. The Heartless emblem could be seen clearly on the front of their bodies.

The Creeper Plant were Heartless that had round, silver-lined head, in it a small face, with two glowing yellow eyes and a jagged maw. Four large flower petals border the head, two of which were orange, and two of which were yellow. Four orange and yellow spikes could be seen protruding from the head, the orange ones appearing in front of the yellow petals, the yellow ones appearing in front of the orange petals. A thin, green, vine-like neck extended from the back of the head to the small, blue-green body, where four root-like legs extended from the corners and into the ground. All in all, they were very creepy Heartless.

"You guys picked the wrong people to mess with." –Haruka stated, as a Creeper Plant jumped in front of her. –"Take this!"

And with that, the fight began. The new Heatless looked a little stronger than the ones that they had faced until then, but in the end they were no match for the Sailor Scouts teamwork. The last one was defeated by Usagi, who felt that her new Keyblade, the Crescent Moon was in some ways better than the Kingdom Key, even though she did not tell anyone about it.

"Phew… now that wasn't so hard, now was it?" –Johnny sighed in relief.

"More or less, these new Heartless were a somehow tougher than the ones that we faced in the previous world." –Setsuna said.

"Yeah, but in the end, we showed them, didn't we?" –Minako said with a proud and somehow pompous voice.

"I must congratulate you on your fighting skills. These creepy creatures have been causing nothing but trouble around here." –the Doorknob declared.

"Tell us, how long have they been appearing in this world?" –Ami asked it.

"Don't know exactly for how long, but they have been causing a lot of troubles." –the Doorknob answered, when something was heard at the distance… the sound of a trumpet. –"Oh ho, someone is bound to lose its head…"

"What do you mean lose its head?" –Chibiusa asked.

"The White Rabbit only plays his trumpet like that, when someone is about to be trialled by the King and the Queen of Hearts in a trial." –

"That doesn't sound so bad…" –Artemis said.

"Oh, but it is. You see, it doesn't matter what the person who's being judged says, the Queen will consider it guilty, and will demand that they cut off its head."

Ami instantly remembered that person being judged in the book was Alice, so it was only logical that the person who was being judged right then was none other than Alice. Fearing that she might be right about it, the blue-haired girl said:

"We have to get to where the trial is being held!" –Ami said.

"Then, you must not waste another second… Go right through the Lotus Forest and then turn into the Queen's Gardens. The trial is usually held in the centre of the gardens, in the Queen's Court." –the Doorknob explained to them, as he unlocked himself and pulled to the side, letting them in.

Following the instructions given by the Doorknob, they all quickly went through the Lotus Forest, which was not a forest like so many they have seen, but a rather strange one. There were not tees or grass, but instead the plants looked like grass and there were many flowers, some of them were blood red, while others were as yellow as the Sun itself. Another particularity of that forest was the fact existing giant mushrooms growing around the place. The floor was made of dirt. All in all, it looked more like a huge flower bed in a garden, than a wood.

"Where to now?" –Hotaru asked.

"Just follow the sound of the trumpet; it will lead us right to the where the trial is being held." –Chibiusa said.

After awhile, they were already in the Queen's gardens, and were caught by surprise when they saw themselves inside this huge hedge maze. The tall bushes formed the walls of that hedge maze. There were rose bushes; all of the roses in them were red, blood red, and its shape made them some of the finest and most beautiful roses that any of them had ever seen in their life. Needless to say that those roses reminded Usagi and Naru, as well as the rest of the gang of Tuxedo Mask.

"These roses remind me of Mamoru… my sweet Mamoru, where are you now?" –Usagi asked herself.

"Wherever you are, my prince, I hope that you are well and that you manage to join us soon enough." –Naru told herself, as they continued to sprint through the hedge maze, following the trumpet's sound.

Finally, they arrived at the centre of the hedge maze, where the Queen's court was, they found Alice being trialled, just as Amy predicted earlier. They immediately recognized Alice as being the blonde girl, with the age of 10 or 12. She was a beautiful and fair skinned girl with blonde hair, a black ribbon in her hair with a bow top centred, blue eyes, and was wearing a light blue dress with a white pinafore apron, white stocking over bloomers and an underskirt and black Mary Jane shoes.

Then, they recognized the White Rabbit, which they had been after. He was blowing his trumpet signalling that the trial was about to begin. Seated on their thrones were the Queen and the King of Hearts.

When they looked at her, they saw that the Queen of Hearts was a large woman dressed in regal attire and was carrying a small wand with a red heart on the tip. Her collar was white and very tall, reaching her ears. Her gown had a white lining (rather like the border of a playing card), with the rest of it being coloured red and black. The left half of her dress had a short, black sleeve with a red cuff, a red abdomen, with everything below that being black. The right side was identical, but with inverted colours; a red sleeve, black cuff, black abdomen, and red lower half. She was also wearing a second dress or skirt with a similar split design, the left side being an alternating thick black line, thin yellow line pattern, while the right side is identical, but with inversed colours. The right side of this second skirt is actually a darker shade of yellow than the left, appearing more gold. She also had a round nose, gold earrings, and a small gold crown on her head. Her hair was black and tied into a tight bun on the back of her head with a red ribbon, though a few loose bangs dangle in front of her forehead. As for the King of Hearts, he was the complete opposite of his wife, not only physically, but also in the way that he was dressed. He was a short, skinny man in a big golden crown and small moustache. He was wearing a long red gown with a white lining.

There were also soldiers spread through the court patrolling it, which could be divided into two different kinds, the Heart soldiers and the Spade soldiers. The Heart soldiers had red heads shaped like an upside-down heart. They had a pale-skinned, heart-shaped face showing, indicating that the red is some sort of helmet, a bright red, vaguely heart-shaped nose, and a small, heart-shaped mouth. Two red semi-circles were present on either "shoulder". They had spindly arms and large red gloves, when in comparison to their arms, as well as floppy red shoes. They were seen carrying red lances as weapons, each lance tipped with an upside-down heart.

The Spade soldiers shared the same structure as their red counterparts, sporting the same physical characteristics, albeit theirs were coloured black. Their noses were also black and shaped like an upside-down heart, which could be described as a spade without the "handle". Their mouths shared this upside-down heart shape. Their faces are pale like the Heart soldiers, while their "helmets" were shaped like spades, with parts of the design, specifically the handle and lower half of the spade, continuing onto their card bodies. Their black gloves were slightly closer-fitting than their red-coloured brethren. Finally, they were seen carrying black axes as weapons.

None of the soldiers, or the people taking part in the trial had seen any of the Sailor Scouts yet, and they all thanked for that, for they did not know what to do next. Getting there had been easy, but now came the hardest part… what were they going to do?

"Mmm, now how do we help her?" –Usagi asked her friends.

"Don't speak so loud!" –George gritted his teeth.

"He's right; don't speak so loud, Usagi. First, let's see how the trial goes, before we make any assumptions about what's going on." –Rei said

"I agree with Rei. Let's see what happens, and then, if we're needed to fight against these guys, so we can protect Alice, we'll do it. But for now, let's just watch." –Michiru said.

Alice was feeling quite nervous, for she had never been in that position.

"Court is now in session!" –the White Rabbit exclaimed, while trying to catch his breath.

"I'm on trial? But why?" –Alice asked.

"Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts, presiding!"

The Queen of Hearts looked at Alice from top to bottom with a menacing look, and then said:

"This girl is the culprit. There's no doubt about it. And the reason is… because I said so, that's why!" –the Queen exclaimed, with a positively delightful voice, which meant that she was actually enjoying accusing the blonde girl, just for the sake of it.

"That is so unfair!" –Alice exclaimed, not believing what she was hearing.

"Well, have you anything to say in your defense?" –the Queen asked her, granting her at least the right to defend herself on trial, which she usually did not grant.

"Of course! I've done absolutely nothing wrong!" –Alice told the Queen, with an uprising voice. –"You may be Queen, but I'm afraid that doesn't give you the right to be so… so mean!"

The White Rabbit and the King of Hearts all listened and were starting to panic. Nobody had ever said that to the Queen before. Everyone in Wonderland knew that they should not talk like that with the Queen, because they knew that she was royalty, but mostly because they knew that she had a very hot temperament, and whenever anyone insulted her, she would just get mad about it.

"Silence! You dare defy me? I'll have your head for this!" –the Queen yelled in rage.

Hearing that, Usagi and the rest of the Sailor Scouts knew that things were not going so well for Alice.

"Maybe it would be best if we did help her." –Luna suggested. –"I don't like where this is going."

"Usually, I would say that we should not interfere with these affairs, at least until we know exactly what is going on, but in this case, I think we should and must interfere, before that poor girl gets into more trouble." –Artemis said, agreeing with Luna.

It was then that the Queen proclaimed Alice's sentence, and it was everything but good.

"The court finds the defendant… guilty as charged!" –the Queen yelled. –"For the crimes of assault and attempted theft of my heart!"

The Sailor Scouts all gasped after hearing those words. Alice was being trialled on something which the Heartless were responsible for.

"B-Bravo, dear! Bravo!" –the King of Hearts said, with an uneasy voice, while clapping his hands, for he knew that if he did not do it, his wife would get even madder.

"Off with her head!" –the Queen ordered.

The card soldier all moved forward to where Alice was standing, ready to oblige to the orders of their Queen.

"No, no! Oh, please!" –Alice begged.

Alice's plea for mercy was the last straw. Knowing that she was innocent, Ami was the first to jump right into action. Jumping into the air and propelling herself with a somersault, she landed right in front of Alice, shielding her from the soldiers and their weapons. The other Sailor Scouts also went to help, pushing the soldiers to the side, while trying to get where Ami and Alice were. All of them had their Keyblades pointed to the soldiers, while surrounding the little blonde girl.

"Don't worry, Alice, we're here to protect you." –Ami said, as she looked to the Queen of Hearts, who did not like what she was seeing.


	16. Wonderland Surprises

Chapter 16: Wonderland Surprises

They had all got themselves into a tight jam. Surrounded by Card Soldiers, the Sailor Scouts knew that if they did not do anything, they would just turn them into sis kebab. Ami, who had been the first one to jump into action, in order to protect the blonde girl, was starting to feel that that had been a bad move, even though she did not want to admit it in front of the others.

"What is the meaning of this?" –the Queen yelled at the Sailor Scouts.

"We know who the real culprits of the attempted attack to steal your heart are." –Ami said.

"It's the Heart…" –George tried to say that the culprits were the Heartless, but Haruka stopped him, by placing her hand in front of his mouth, shushing him.

"Either way, Alice is not the culprit!" –Michiru stated.

"And, do any of you have any proof of what you are saying?" –the Queen asked them, not believing what they were saying.

None of them were expecting that from the Queen. She clearly looked like the kind of person that would just ignore any kind of evidence, even if these evidences worked in her favour. They quickly exchanged looks, and felt like cockroaches trapped in a roach motel.

"N-No, not really." –Ami answered her.

"But that doesn't mean we can't find anything to prove her innocence." –Makoto declared with a challenging voice. She did not have any intention of letting the Queen think that they were in what looked like a hopeless situation, given the situation.

"Very well, then. I will allow you to scatter the Lotus Forest for any clues. But the defendant will stay here, waiting for your return." –the Queen said, as two Card Soldiers managed to break the circle that they had create around Alice, grabbed her by the wrist and took her to a golden cage, which was shaped like a birdcage. George and Minako just wanted to jump on those two and beat them to a pulp. Still, they knew that if they did that, they would just get into a lot more trouble. They opened the cage's door and put her inside, locking the door. Then, the cage was lifted up in the air, and covered with a red cape, just like a magician's.

"How much time do we have?" –Johnny asked the Queen of Hearts.

"You have until I think you had enough time to look for them."

"Ask a smart question, and you get a smart answer. Ask a stupid question and you get a stupid answer… but in this case, you ask a smart question, and you get a stupid answer." –Haruka thought to herself. –"I'm so not liking where this is heading to."

"As you wish." –Johnny answered back.

They all round up and began to decide what to do next. The logical thing to do was to look for evidence to prove that Alice was innocent, but how were they going to do it? Should they all go together, or should some of them stay there, keeping an eye n the Queen, while the others would go and find the evidence? Decisions, decisions, decisions…

"I'm not a fan of us going into separate ways." –Rei said.

"Well, I like the idea." –Haruka said.

"But you and Michiru are used to work alone. Most of us aren't." –Makoto stated. –"Now, I'm talking for me and for Rei, Usagi, Minako, Chibiusa and Ami. What about you, boys, how do you usually work where you come from?"

"We usually work together, but we also work in pairs. Let me just state that back on our home dimension, we don't deal with bad guys, the same way you girls do." –George answered.

"And in this case, I think half of us should go after the evidence, while the other half keeps an eye on the Queen. I trust her as much as I trust a rookie defense attorney, which is close to zero, null, cero, nolla, zéro, noll." –Johnny said.

"Maybe it would be best if we follow that idea. We can communicate with each others, and if there was trouble, we would know right away." –Artemis suggested.

"Okay, but, who will go and who will stay?" –Hotaru asked.

"Well, the ones who should do should be the ones who are best to know how to locate anything that looks remarkably to a clue, and for course, the best fighters, in case they run into trouble." –Luna said.

"Okay, then Ami and Johnny should go, because with their computers and technological gizmos, they should be able to find whatever clues there are in that forest." –Usagi said. –"As for the best fighters, Rei and Makoto should go, as well as Haruka and Naru. The rest should stay here, keeping an eye on the Queen and her guards, as well on Alice. Luna and Artemis should also go."

"I agree. As soon as we find enough clues, we come back here." –Rei said.

"Good luck, everyone." –Setsuna wished them.

While Ami and the rest of her group made their way to the Lotus Forest, Usagi and the others who stayed with her tried to talk with Alice, who was still locked on the cage, up on the air. In order to talk with her, they had to yell into the air, which was not the best way to have a conversation, especially because they needed to ask a couple of questions to the blonde girl, and could not, without alerting the soldiers or the King and the Queen, who would certainly ask questions. Given that, they had to make sure that whatever the conversation subject was, it would not reveal too much about the Heatless, or Maleficent, or anything else.

"Alice, are you alright?" –Usagi asked her.

"More or less. I think I could be better, given the situation." –the little blonde answered her. –"May I ask you, who are you and how do you know me?"

"Oh, of course. I'm Usagi, and here with me are Minako, Michiru, George, Setsuna, Chibiusa and Hotaru." –Usagi answered her, -"As for how we know you, well… it's a little complicated. The thing is we're here to help you."

"Yes, our friends have gone looking for clues to help you get out of here." –Chibiusa told her.

"Well, I do hope they find something that might help me." –Alice told them. You could sense through her voice that she was rather worried.

"Don't worry, Alice. If there's anyone who can find any clue that will help you, it's them." –Hotaru told her with a soothing voice, trying to calm her down.

Looking for something that would remotely be a clue in that strange forest was like finding a needle in a haystack, and the group that had been chosen for that task knew it.

"We don't even have a clue of what were looking floor" –Haruka said.

"It will be like finding a needle in a haystack." –Makoto stated.

"Actually, a needle would be easy to find in a haystack, because a needle is made of metal, and so, it would be easy to spot in a haystack." –Ami declared. –"Now if it was needle in a needle stack, now that would be different…"

"We get the point the Ami." –Makoto told her with an uneasy voice. –"Still, that doesn't tell us what were looking for, or where should we go."

"Maybe I can be of some assistance…"

Everyone heard the voice, but did not know from where it came. They looked around, looking for whoever said that. Still, they did not find anyone.

"Who said that?" –Haruka yelled, as she looked around, trying to find who had spoken. –"Where are you? Identify yourself!"

On a rock near them, a large grin appeared in the middle of the air. Then, a pair of yellow eyes, which composed a smiley face. Little by little, a pink and purple creature began to appear in front of their eyes. Finally, they saw who it was… the Cheshire Cat.

"Who are you?" –Haruka asked, demanding to know who or what that creator was.

"Who, indeed." –the Cheshire Cat said. –"I'm the Cheshire Cat, and I must say, that I wasn't expecting that to happen. Poor Alice. Soon to lose her head, and she's not even guilty of a thing."

"Then, in that case, we're going to need to prove Alice's innocence. Can you help us, please?" –Naru asked the strange pink and purple Cheshire Cat.

"The Cheshire Cat has all the answers… but doesn't always tell. You seem to already know who the culprit is." –the Cheshire Cat said. –"They have already left the forest. I won't tell which exit. Still, they have left four pieces of evidence behind. Three are a cinch to find, but the fourth is tricky. I will tell you something, which might interest you, if you can find them all."

Makoto frowned her eyebrow looked at Ami, and whispered to her ear:

"Should we trust him, Ami?"

"To trust or not to trust? I trust you'll decide! And with that, I'm off!" –he said, as his body disappeared into thin air, as if it never had been there.

"Well, in the book, the Cheshire Cat tells Alice where to go, so, I think we can trust him." –Ami told Makoto.

"So, let's start looking for the clues. Spread out and look for them. Whoever finds one tells us the others, through the use of the Informants. And one last thing, be careful." –Hauka said, as she and Rei went one way, and the rest of the Scouts went in different ways.

Even though they now knew how many clues they were looking for, they still did not know where they were and the Lotus Forest was quite big. The first ones to find something were Ami and Naru, who found a set of footprints on the ground. They analysed them, and quickly saw to which kind of Heartless it belonged to.

"Soldiers. According to what the Informants say, after the Shadows, they are the base of the Heartless forces." –Ami said.

"It's only logical. In order to plunge this world into darkness, Maleficent would need to use an army. Even she couldn't have enough power to do it on her own." –Naru said.

"I wouldn't be so sure of it, Naru. The amount of energy that the creatures that attacked us in Tokyo was quite high; some of them even higher than any youma that we have faced before, so naturally, she needs to be even more powerful to control them." –Ami stated.

The next ones to find a clue were Rei and Haruka. They found what looked like a small crystal. After picking it up, they saw that it was really a crystal. This crystal was round and orange; more or less form the size of a tangerine, and inside it was some kind of living dark matter, floating.

"How do you know this is a clue? For all we know it, there could be thousands of those thing lying around the place." –Haruka told Rei.

"You're right, I don't know. Still, this place is so crazed up, that we can probably find a way to show this is a piece of evidence." –Rei explained to her, as she looked closer to the crystal.

Then, it was Johnny and Makoto's turn to find a clue. Examining the huge plants, they found claw marks, which belonged to the same kind of Heartless that Naru and Ami had had found footprints of.

"Nasty little creatures." Johnny said, as he inspected the claw marks, and used his Keyblade to cut the section of the stem where the claw marks were, in order to present it as a piece of evidence. –"According to the set of footprints that Ami and Naru found, these claw marks clearly belong to Soldiers."

"If that's true, then we have found already three clues… only one left to find." –Makoto stated, as she looked around. –"Still, it seems to me that this was too easy. It feels like… What was that?" –she turned her head behind, after hearing something moving.

"What was what?"

"I heard something." –Makoto told him.

"It was probably just the wind." –Johnny said when the noise was heard once again; this time he also heard it. –"Okay, now I've heard it."

The noise came from somewhere near. Paying attention to what surrounded them, trying to find the source of that intriguing noise. For a couple of seconds, nothing was heard. Complete and utter silence surrounded them. Then, they heard it again. It was coming from behind a bush near Makoto. She silently turned around and peaked inside the bush, only to be startled by what she saw, falling on her back. Something with big yellow eyes looked at her… it was a Heartless.

"H-Heartless!" –Makoto said, as she tried to get up on her feet.

"Now what do you know? This one must have stayed behind. Get him! We can use him as a piece of evidence!" –Johnny said, as he launched himself to the Heartless, trying to grab him with his hands. The little Heartless jumped more than a Jack-rabbit. Still, he was determined to catch it.

"But how are we going to cage it? These things can teleport themselves to where they want!" –Makoto exclaimed, as she sprinted after that Heartless.

"Leave that to me! Just try and catch it! Call the others and tell them that that creature can't get away! Even if it's not one of the clues that cat told us about, it will be enough to convince that crazy queen!" –Johnny said, as he looked around for something that could help them catch that thing.

Soon, all the Scouts that had gone after the clues to present as evidence of Alice's innocence were after that small Heartless, trying to catch it. It seemed the small Heartless was not going to let itself being caught by one of the Sailor Scouts. Naru almost grabbed it, but as she was about to grab it, it simply jumped onto her head and then kept jumping all the way through that immense forest.

"Blast it! I almost caught it!" –Naru exclaimed, as she kept running after it.

Eventually, that wild chase led them to a rather curious place. They saw themselves in a garden, surrounded by tall bushes and a white and pink house, with a red roof. On the centre of the garden, there was a long table set for tea. There were teapots, cups, sugar bowls and plates of all shapes and colours. All the teapots were smoking, indicating that there was hot tea in them. But even more interesting, was the fact that all of them were whistling and screeching in the most varied tones, almost sounding like an orchestra… a very fascinating orchestra.

"Stand still, you miserable creature!" –Haruka said, as she failed yet again to catch it.

"Try going around, and surround it! We need to cut its path!" –Makoto said.

"It jumps too high, it's impossible to keep up with it!" –Ami said.

"Remember, we can also jump pretty high, thanks to our clothes! Follow my lead!" –Rei said, as she somersaulted, cutting the Heartless' path.

This time, they managed to gain the upper hand. The Heartless fell on the table, knocking down a couple of teapots, which spilled tea all over the place, as well two sugar bowls, sprinkling the Heartless as if it was a donut or a biscuit, who seemed not to like that at all. Seeing this opportunity, Rei grabbed the creature by its legs, and in the following second, Haruka did the same with the arms.

"Hold it steady, while I capture it! I don't want that thing to get the chance to teleport itself out of here." –Johnny said, as he approached them, holding a strange object on its right hand. –"Get inside, you disgusting black cockroach, you!"

He slammed the object on his hand onto the Heartless, and the object opened in the same way a flower blossoms, enveloping the nasty creature in a glass cocoon.

"And that's that!" –Johnny said, as he looked around the place, noticing that everything around them was a complete mess. –"What a waste of good tea…"

"At least we got it, that's what it counts, right?" –Makoto asked rhetorically.

"Indeed it is" –they all heard. It was the Cheshire Cat, who once again appeared out of nowhere. This time, it was his tail that first appeared, and then the rest of his body. Before his head was completely visible, he began to talk again. –"I never thought that you would be able to find all the clues that those creatures left behind so fast… I usually don't say this, but you are very good."

"Thanks… I guess." –Makoto said.

"Now, what about that secret that you were going to tell us, if we found them all?" –Naru asked him.

"Oh, very well, I shall tell you it. But before that, I would like you to answer this little riddle… can you tell me why is a raven like a writing desk?"

The riddle was strange and unusual. Still, Ami, who had memorized every little bit of both Lewis Carroll's books, knew that there was an answer. In fact, there were multiple right answers, given by people over the years, even though initially Carroll himself did not have one.

"Because Poe wrote on both?" –Ami answered, not entirely sure; so she decided to give another answer. –"Or, is it because the notes for which they are noted are not noted for being musical notes?"

"Why… they're both right!" –the Cheshire Cat exclaimed, impressed with what Ami had done. –"Nobody has ever managed to give an answer to this riddle, let alone two at the same time."

"So… can you tell us that secret you were talking about?" –Haruka asked him, with a very imposing voice, showing that she was in no mood for jokes or pranks.

"Oh, if I must… a green faced witch called Maleficent, if I'm not mistaken was talking about something regarding 7 maidens of pure heart, and that one of them might be from this world."

Hearing that, they remembered about what Yen Sid had told them; about the 7 Princesses of Heart. If someone managed to put the 7 maidens in the same place, it would be able to open Kingdom Hearts, thanks to the purity of their hearts.

"How did you manage to hear that?" –Naru asked him, not trusting entirely on the Cheshire Cat.

"Well, when you have the ability to appear and disappear at will, like I do…" –he stated, as he began to disappear, very slowly. –"… you end up hearing some interesting things, from time to time."

Finally, when the only parts of his body that were still visible were his white grin and his yellow eyes, he said:

"If I were you, I would hurry up back to the Queen's Court, or Alice will surely lose her head, before you can actually help her."

Knowing that what he told them was true, they wasted no time returning to the Queen's Court, where the others awaited their arrival. They had been trying to cheer up Alice, who was still locked in that cage.

Everyone took their places, as the evidences were handed over to the White Rabbit, who carefully placed them in pink square boxes, and then put them all in front of the Queen and the King of Hearts. Usagi, determined to set things right, approached the Queen and the King and said:

"Your Majesties, like we promised, we have found evidences that will prove that the defendant is innocent."

"Very well, let's start." –the King said.

"Choose one of them and bring it to me."

"W-What about the other three?" –Usagi asked her, knowing that it was strange that she only wanted to see one of the evidences, and not all of them.

"Checking all of four would only be a waste of time. Choose the one you wish to present. I'll decide who's guilty based on that evidence." –the Queen answered.

"After all the trouble we had gathering all of them?" –Haruka said, outraged.

"You dare object? Then you will lose your head!" –the Queen exclaimed. –"Now, choose! One box!"

Not wanting to enrage the Queen more than she already was, she told Ami to go and pick one. Not knowing the order in which the boxes were placed, she decided to use her Informant as a scanner, in order to find out where the Heartless was. Scanning the boxes, she quickly found out that the creature was inside box number 3. Choosing it, one of the Card Soldiers opened it, and as soon as it was open, the Heartless jumped out of it, scaring everyone, especially the Queen, who immediately thought that it was yet another attempt to steal her heart, this time done by the Sailor Scouts.

"Seal the gardens and get them!" –the King said.

As soon as he said that, the Garden's exits all disappeared as if by magic, and two small yellow hexagonal towers, each one had three cranks in them, appeared out of nowhere as if by magic.

"Do not let them escape, or you will lose your heads for it!" –the Queen yelled at the Card Soldiers, who did not waste a second organizing themselves, in order to stop the Sailor Scouts from escaping the Queen's Court.

The situation looked dark for all of them. They were trapped, and they would have to fight their way out of there. Regrouping, Usagi quickly told the others to get closer to her, in order to find a way to get out of that tight jam. Whoever came up with an escape plan, needed to do it quickly in order to explain it to the others.

"Okay, everyone, I know this looks bad, but we can overcome this. We have faced a lot worst in the past." –Usagi said.

"No kidding…" –Johnny shot back at her, sarcastically.

"What's the plan?" –Minako asked Usagi, as she looked around, worried that they might not have a way to escape.

"Those towers with the cranks over there appeared, as soon as the other exits disappeared, which mean that they somehow are connected. My guess is, if we destroy them, we might make them appear again." –Setsuna suggested.

"Then that's the plan! Half of us will attempt to destroy those two towers, while the other half tries to repel the Card Soldiers!" –Naru suggested, to which the rest waved their heads in acknowledgement.

"What about Alice? We need to get her out of here too." –Chbiusa said, worried about Alice's welfare.

"You go and get her. Use your Keyblade to get her out of that cage!" –Hotaru suggested. –"I'll cover your back!"

"Alright, I'll go get her."

"Then, it's settled! On my mark! 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Go!" –Usagi said.

Following Naru's plan, Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako and Naru herself began using their special abilities to destroy the towers, while the rest of the Sailor Scouts attempted pushing the Card Soldiers away from them, in order to give the others some manoeuvre space. Chibiusa and Hotaru, on the other hand, made their way through the Queen's Court, in order to break Alice free from that cage.

Using their abilities, all of them tried their best to stick to the plan. They knew that in order to get out of there, they would need to work as a team. The Card Soldiers were proving to be as tough as any Heartless they had faced until that point. Still, the Outer Scouts managed to keep them away, so as the Inner Scouts could destroy the crank towers.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" –Ami exclaimed.

"Mars Fire Sniper!" –Rei exclaimed.

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" –Makoto exclaimed.

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" –Minako exclaimed.

"Roots of Fate!" –Naru exclaimed.

Their attacks began destroying the towers, making them crumble into pieces very slowly. The others, seeing that picked up the pace making sure that the Card Soldiers would not get even near of the Inner Scouts. Thanks to the power of their Keyblades, they still had the power to use their attacks, and they were making sure that they used them correctly against their enemies.

"World Shaking!" –Haruka exclaimed.

"Deep Submerge!" –Michiru exclaimed.

"Dead Scream!" –Setsuna exclaimed.

"Freezing Inferno Blast!" –Johnny exclaimed.

"Saturn's Toxic Storm!" –George exclaimed.

Haruka could not help but to smirk, as she saw the Queen and King of Hearts looking at them, seeing them literally obliterating any kind of attack that they pulled against the Sailor Scouts. Still, it was the same confidence that she had in her, that almost made her miss one of the Card Soldiers that managed to break through the blockage they had built around Usagi and the others. Fortunately, Luna and Artemis launched themselves towards the Card Soldiers legs, making him fall into the ground, giving Johnny the opportunity to grab him and literally punching him to the opposite side of the Queen's Court.

"Keep your eyes open!" –he yelled at Haruka.

"Sorry, I was distracted! Don't tell me you have never been distracted before during a battle?" –she yelled at him, clearly upset with the fact that he had to warn her about her mistake.

"Let's see… no, I have never been distracted during a battle, because back in my home dimension, if you get distracted, you'll end up without your head!"

"Stop yelling at each other! You sound just like a pair of siblings arguing about who broke a vase, after you've been playing soccer on the living room! Get a grip, and save that energy for these guys!" –George yelled at them, trying to stop them arguing with each other.

On the other side of the Queen's Court, Chibiusa and Hotaru did their best to get to where Alice was. Looking to the cage, they raced to see who got their first. Swinging their Keyblades at the same time, they managed to keep all the Card Soldiers out of their way. Finally, when they got in front of the cage, which was still suspended in the air, covered with the red curtain, Chibiusa kept going, while Hotaru stayed behind, in order to keep the Card Soldiers away form her.

"Keep going, Chibiusa! I'll take care of them! _Silent Wall_!" –she warned Chibiusa, as she used one of her attacks along with her Keyblade, in order to keep the enemies away from them.

"Got it!" –Chibiusa said as she somersaulted over a pair of Card Soldiers.

As soon as she got near the cage, she prepared herself to use the Keyblade in order to cut it down. But, before she could do what she had in mind, she was stopped by the Red Queen, who threw her wand at the pink-haired girl, trying to hit her in the head, unsuccessfully. Chibiusa looked at her, and saw that the Queen was boiling mad. Her face was completely red and her eyes looked as if they were about to be shot right out of their sockets.

"Stay away from me!" –she yelled at Chibiusa, as she grabbed the King's crown and threw it, trying to hit the girl, who simply tossed it back, using her Keyblade like a baseball bat. The King's crown ended up falling on top of the Queen's head, making her even madder than before.

Trying not to pay attention to the Queen and her attempts to hurt her, by throwing objects at her, Chibiusa, used her Keyblade and with a swift and slender move, she broke the golden chain that was hanging the cage up in the air. The cage where Alice was fell to the ground, ending on top of a rose bush. Seeing what had just happened, Hotaru joined Chibiusa, and helped her taking the red cape that was covering the cage, only to find something they were not expecting… Alice was not inside.

"She's gone!" –Hotaru said. –"Where could have she gone to?"

"I don't know, but do you want bet that the Heartless or that evil witch are behind this?" –Chibiusa said.

A few seconds after the youngest members in the team made that discover, Makoto managed to destroy what was left of the second tower, sending the metallic cranks flying through the air, one of them almost hitting the Queen of Hearts, who yelled at the Sailor Scouts:

"I will have your heads for this, even if I have to cut them myself!"

At the same time, all the exits reappeared, and none of them wanted to stay another minute there. Usagi looked at Chibiusa and Hotaru, expecting to see them accompanied by Alice, but when she saw that she was not with them, she instantly sensed that something was not right. Still, they had to escape before the Card Soldiers decided to make mince meat out of them, this time permanently. They all escaped into the Lotus Forest, where they hoped they would not be followed; they needed to regroup and think of what to do next. Finally, they stopped running when they felt that they had left the Queen's Court far behind them.

"Okay, I really wasn't expecting those guys to put up such a fight." –George said, still panting.

"I never thought that a bunch of cards could be so tough to beat." –Setsuna declared. –"Imagine if they were Heartlesses."

"Just pray we don't have that luck, okay?" –Haruka said.

"Now that you mention it, where did that Heartless go?" –Rei asked out loud.

"Last we saw of it, it was running around like a maniac on the Queen's Court, always appearing and disappearing… hey, there he goes!" –Minako pointed to the little Heartless that ran past by them.

"Come on, let's go after him!" –Johnny said, as he launched himself in pursuit.

"Oh, but I haven't had time to rest yet!" –Usagi cried out, as she had just sat on a huge pink mushroom that was on the ground. She was tired, and wanted to rest for a bit.

"Run now, rest later, Usagi!" –Makoto said, as she grabbed the blonde by the hand pulled her into that pursuit.

"But I'm dead tired!" –Usagi whined about it, not wanting to accompany the rest of the group, into what she considered a wild goose chase right then.

Determined to not let the Heartless escape, the Sailor Scouts tried to keep up with the little Heartless, who went through a hole in a rock. In order to follow it, they entered through the hole, which lead to a dark tunnel. They had crawl through the tunnel in order to follow the Heartless, which proved to not be an easy task for them.

"Where do you think this hole goes to?" –Makoto asked the rest of the gang, as her voice echoed.

"Who knows? It might end on the other side of these woods, or it might take us to a totally different place." –Minako said.

"As long as it doesn't end on a lake full of hungry piranhas or a tank with man-eating sharks, I'll consider myself quite happy about it." –Johnny said. –"We better move faster, otherwise that little rascal is going to get away."

Moving through the tunnel, Usagi who was up on front, could hear very vaguely the Heartless moving in front of them. The question was, how far behind were them from it? It could be just a couple of feet, but it could also be more than 20 metres. The only ones that were able to see anything in front of them clearly were Luna and Artemis, and both of them were walking side by side with Chibiusa, who did not want to confess, but was a little afraid of the dark. Still, they kept moving forward, hoping to catch the black creature and that this one would lead them to where Alice had been taken to. Finally, they saw a shiny bright light at the end of the tunnel. Crawling a little faster than before, they were soon out of the tunnel, and were rather surprised to see where the tunnel had taken them to. They were once again back in the room where they had shrunk to the size of a mouse. Looking around, they saw that the Doorknob was now sleeping, an there was no sign of the Heartless.

"Well, back to square one, I guess." –Rei said.

"I don't think so…" –Naru pointed to the other side of the room, where a huge group of Heartless was standing. –"We got company!"

The group of Heartless was composed by numerous types of Heartless, among them were Shadows, Soldiers and Large Bodies, which they had fought against before, as well as some new ones. There were some Heartless that looked like the Soldiers, but they had dark grey skin, large blue claws and wore tattered red boots with curled toes. Then, there were Heartless that had round, silver-lined heads, with a small face, two glowing yellow eyes and a jagged maw. Four large flower petals border the head, two of which were orange, and two of which were yellow. Four orange and yellow spikes could be seen protruding from the head, the orange ones appearing in front of the yellow petals, the yellow ones appearing in front of the orange petals. A thin, green, vine-like neck extended from the back of the head to the small, blue-green body, where four root-like legs extended from the corners and into the ground. Finally, there was a kind of Heartless that looked like it was based on the design of an old-fashioned vehicle horn. Their round, black body resembled a squeeze bulb, while its golden mouth resembled the bell of an instrumental horn. Its black head and antenna resembled a musical note, notably a quaver or an eighth note. A red collar separated the head and body. Two yellow eyes could be seen on its face, and it seemed to be wearing earmuffs on its head, which were light and dark blue in color. The Heartless emblem could be seen clearly on the front of its body.

"Let's see… the ones that look like plants are called Creeper Plants, while the ones that look like vehicle horns are called Crescendos. Oh, and the ones that look like the Soldiers, but aren't Soldiers are called Stealth Soldiers." –Ami told them, while looking at their names in her Informant. As she finished informing the rest of the group, the Heartless all turned to them, and began speeding towards them, with only one objective in their mind, to destroy the Sailor Scouts.

"Stand on your guard, everyone!" Usagi told hem, as she made her Keyblade appear on her hand, positioning herself in combat formation.

"Alright, it's playtime!" –Johnny exclaimed with an almost maniacal, yet comical voice, as he prepared himself to attack the Heartless.

The whole group did their best to get rid of the strongest and toughest Heartless, which were the Large Bodies and the Stealth Soldiers. These last ones proved to be quite hard to fight against, especially because of the fact that they were always appearing and disappearing, thanks to their ability to turn invisible. Still, thanks to a good coordination, Haruka and Michiru, as well as Chibiusa and Hotaru managed to get rid of them. Johnny was having the time of his life, while George, Makoto and himself played baseball with all the Shadows, using them as baseballs. Given the fact that they were all exhausted from their earlier battle, it was incredible just how suddenly they got their energy back. Usagi assumed that it was the power of the Keyblade or of the clothes they were wearing that enabled them to recover their energy in very little time.

In a matter of minutes, all of the Heartless that were attacking them, disappeared, and they were all alone in that strange room. But, they were not alone for very long. All of a sudden, the Cheshire Cat appeared on top of the chair. This time, his body was bouncing on top of his head, as if it was a beach ball, and as always, he was smiling with that big grin of his.

"Hello again to those I already know, and also to those I'm meeting now!" –he told them.

"Cheshire Cat, do you know where Alice is?" –Ami asked him.

"The shadows took her… she's not here anymore. She has gone with the shadows, into darkness." –he told her. –"And if I were you, I would get ready, because in a matter of seconds, you'll be having quite a surprise!"

With that, he disappeared, leaving all the Sailor Scouts, thinking about what was to come next.


End file.
